Ghana is bleeding from corruption – Mahama

President John Mahama has called on Ghanaians and heads of various institutions to join in the fight against corruption.

Delivering his third State of the Nation Address to Parliament on Thursday, President Mahama said “Ghana is bleeding from various acts of mismanagement”.

President Mahama assured to “continue to support anti-corruption bodies in their investigations and take action against those found guilty”.

President Mahama’s comment comes on the back of various corruption scandals that have rocked various state agencies in the last couple of years.

23 Directors of the National Service Scheme (NSS) were recently arrested for attempting to pay GH¢200,000 as bribe to investigators of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to conceal a GH¢7.9 million financial canker at the NSS has emerged.

A total of GH¢7.9 million was paid to 22,612 non-existent national service persons in more than 100 districts in July 2014.

Three officials of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) have also been dismissed for the various roles they played in the GH¢1 million fraud at the centre.

The Deputy Head of Operations, Ken Kwaku Boadi Asare; the Western Regional Manager, George Owusu Sasu, and the Eastern Regional Credit Officer, Kingsley Boakye were all allegedly involved in the fraud.

A report issued by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) indicated that Asare allegedly forged 102 nonexistent business associations to advance GHc1,055,582 to two financial institutions, Rhokida Micro-Finance Limited and Unicorn Happy Investment Limited.

The 2013 Audit report released to Parliament this month revealed that the Energy Ministry spent GHS5, 584,508 on 38 luxury vehicles without approval.

According to the report, the vehicles were bought from a budget meant for extending electricity to 1,200 communities under the Multi-Donor Budgetary Support Programme between 2010 and 2012.

The report also revealed that the ministry also bought two heavy duty photocopiers for $33,226.40 (GHS106,324), four desktop computers with accessories for $10,522.28(GHS33,670), and three laptop computers with accessories for $8,008.71 (GHS25,627.87).