Fight corruption by amending immunity clauses in constitution – Govt told

Political parties in their campaigns for power often preach their commitment to the fight against corruption.

However, International Diplomatic Expert, Al Wahab Farouk, has opined that no political party is wholly committed to the fight against corruption until it takes out the immunity clauses in Ghana’s constitution.

In an interview with Kwame Afrifa Mensah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show, he explained that in other countries, presidents who are found to be corrupt are tried in courts and subsequently jailed when found guilty. However, Ghana’s constitution does not allow the president to stand trial while in power.

“President Lula of Brazil was sent to court over corruption. Why can’t we do that? Anytime the political parties talk in their campaigns, they say they will fight corruption. How do you fight corruption when you don’t want to remove the immunity clause in the constitution? “, he added.

In July 2017, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil was convicted of corruption and sentenced to more than nine years in prison for accepting a beachside apartment as a bribe from engineering firm OAS.

However, in Ghana, the President of Ghana cannot stand trial while in office.

“The President shall not, while in office as President, be personally liable to any civil or criminal proceedings in court”, the Ghanaian constitution reads.