Anti-corruption adviser questions Prez. Akufo-Addo's fight against corruption

A former adviser on Anti-corruption to former President John Dramani Mahama, Daniel Bartidam, is convinced President Akufo-Addo’s words are coming back to bite him following a leaked recording that has cast doubts on the integrity of the police service under him.

President Akufo-Addo whiles in opposition questioned the integrity of the police service under former President Mahama accusing the institution of being selective in the application of the law and a hot bed of corruption.

The police service under President Akufo-Addo has however failed to deal with massive mob actions by New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters and some audacious attacks.

The police service has also come under public scrutiny for a leaked recording in which the Deputy Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, is purportedly heard negotiating the abandonment of corruption allegations involving two Deputies to the Chief of Staff.

Mr. Bartidam, however, thinks the leaked recording exposes President Akufo-Addo’s reluctance to fight corruption.

“President Akufo-Addo as the then candidate indicated that these institutions of state, the police and a whole lot of others are not capable of investigating anything so when the President talks about the fact that he is going to make sure all allegations of corruption are investigated, for me it is very clear; he is telling you that he is not going to do anything about it,” he indicated.

Daniel Bartidam believes the President’s previous comments about the police service raises doubts about the credibility of the investigations that the police have conducted into allegations of corruption leveled against members of his government.

“We have to first assure ourselves about the credibility of investigating institutions and he (Akufo-Addo) himself is on record to have said that these institutions don’t have what it takes to investigate corruption,” he said.

Daniel Bartidam also referred to the BOST contaminated fuel saga as another instance when the police dirtied their reputation accusing the President of incapacitating the police service with his appointments.

“When you decide to make appointments and push away people you think are not going to be malleable to what you want to do and put in those you want and after that you say they should investigate everybody, you should know that you are not expecting anything,” he said.

He called on the President to spell out how he is going to deal with corruption under the circumstances.

“Is the police service, CID and other law enforcement now working? What has happened since President Akufo-Addo took office to show that those institutions he said do not work are now working?” the anti-corruption campaigner quizzed.

He expressed worry about the situation of the country saying, “there is a culture of impunity that is growing in this system and the earlier we begin to take our governance serious the better for all of us.”