Conduct lifestyle audits that does not target innocent people – Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged caution in the push for lifestyle audits of public officeholders, warning that such measures could be applied selectively to target political opponents if not properly grounded in due process.

Speaking at the Media General Dialogues on Lifestyle Audit held in Accra on Monday, November 24, 2025, he said lifestyle audits must be tied to verifiable investigations rather than suspicion or political motives.

According to a 3news.com report on November 25, 2025, Kufuor noted that linking lifestyle assessments to criminality requires thorough probing to establish wrongdoing before any conclusions are made.

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He stressed that no individual should be labelled corrupt or criminal without evidence-based investigations.

“Lifestyle audit, we have to be careful. The lifestyle, if you link it to criminality, then do the investigations, probe to establish that this man has gotten there unlawfully before I say he is a thief deserving to be in prison,” he said.

The former president also highlighted the civic responsibility of citizens to demand accountability from their leaders.

According to him, those entrusted with the nation’s resources must be made to account for how those resources are used while in office.

He explained that stewardship of public wealth requires transparency, insisting that citizens cannot absolve themselves if leaders mismanage state resources without facing consequences.

“The trustee must be accountable. If we do not get our leaders to account and they get away with the loot, you should also blame yourself,” he added.

John Agyekum Kufuor further raised concerns about the widespread nature of corruption in the country, saying it has permeated almost every sector of national life.

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He described the trend as troubling and detrimental to good governance.

He attributed the persistence of corruption partly to what he described as the disengagement of institutions responsible for critical thinking and analysis, adding that these institutions no longer go in-depth to examine the issues confronting Ghana.

“There is corruption everywhere now, and it is a problem because our institutions of learning and thought seem to be disengaged,” he said.

MRA/AE

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