Government paying lip service in corruption fight - Special Prosecutor

Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has issued a rallying call on the citizery to join hands in the fight against corruption.

He is, however, concerned about the posture of government in the fight for which his office was specially formed years ago.

Agyebeng told Accra-based JoyNews that he expected more from the government in terms of the anti-corruption fight.

“On the part of the government, is the government ready for the fight against corruption? From where I sit, I have not seen much. I have not seen much commitment. I have heard lip service on too many occasions paid to the fight against corruption”, he stated submitted on the NewsFile programme (December 31).

“If we want to fight corruption, we must all get involved” he urged.

He also called on Parliament to play its policy and policing role of checking corruption in state institutions.

Doing so, he noted was the best way to help offices like his and other anti-graft bodies to march forward and achieve tangible results in their biid to root out corruption.

He submitted further that with collective efforts and resolve, “we can bring corruption down,” cautioning persons engaged in such malpractices to be rest assured that they will be “found, prosecuted and jailed.”

Government appointees have routinely been accused of engaging in corruption with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said to be paying only lip service to the fight against the canker.

According to the 2021 edition of the annual corruption ranking chart by Transparency International, Ghana ranked 73rd out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perception Index, CPI, report released on April 4.

“Ghana’s current performance is still below 50 which is the expected average, thus leaves much to be desired,” the report noted.

Out of 49 African countries ranked, Ghana placed 9th with Senegal, each bagging a score of 43.

SARA