Corruption: 'Bring evidence' - Akufo-Addo to Minority

Anyone alleging corruption against any serving public appointee should provide the evidence for action, President Nana Akufo-Addo has said.

“The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic enjoins each one of us to uphold the principles of freedom and justice; probity and accountability. In furtherance of these principles, I have made it publicly known that anyone, who has information about acts of corruption by any of my appointees, should bring it forward, and should be prepared to back it up with evidence, for I will have it investigated,” the president said when he presented his second State of the Nation Address to parliament on Thursday, 8 February.

“So far, every single alleged act of corruption levelled against any of my appointees has been investigated by independent bodies, and, in some cases, by Parliament itself, and the findings made public.

“It is important to note that in my first year of office, despite having a clear parliamentary majority, two separate bi-partisan probes in Parliament have been established to inquire into allegations of corruption, as against zero in recent years, notwithstanding the persistent calls by the then-Minority over several allegations.

“With the greatest of respect, and in the words of the articulate Minister for Information, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, no matter how long a log stays under water, it will never become a crocodile,” the president said.