‘Hardworking’ Domelevo wouldn’t have been forced to go on leave under Mahama – Haruna Iddrisu

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has joined the many people criticising President Nana Akufo-Addo for forcing the Auditor-General to take an accumulated 167 days’ leave.

According to Mr Iddrisu, Daniel Domelevo would not have been forced to take his three years’ accumulated leave if John Dramani Mahama was at the Presidency.

“Mahama will not allow hardworking Domelevo to proceed on leave. That will not happen under his watch…because he respects the letter and spirit of the Constitution which guarantees the independence of the institution [of the Auditor General’s Department], under the 1992 Constitution,” Mr Iddrisu said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the John Mahama campaign team for the December 2020 polls at the National Democratic Congress headquarters at Adabraka in Accra.

Following a letter to President which sought to protest the directive to take his 123 days’ leave, the President added 44 more days to make 167 days.

In his protest letter, Mr Domelevo had argued that based on recent labour law and practice, “no worker is deemed to have accumulated any leave on account of their having failed, omitted, neglected or even refused to enjoy their right to annual leave, which the law guarantees for their benefit, not the employer.”

However, the President response, in a letter signed by his Executive Secretary Nana Asante Bediatuo, said: “First of all, for the avoidance of any doubt, your accumulated annual leave of 123 working days which you were directed to take with effect from Wednesday, 1 July 2020, was in respect of the period 2017 to 2019, which you had worked without taking any annual leave and did not include 2020. If, however, you have decided to include your annual leave for the year 2020, then it is expected that you will resume work after a well-deserved leave of 167 working days, with effect from 1 July 2020.”

More than 400 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have unanimously condemned the directive by the President to the Auditor General, arguing that it defeats the President’s avowed commitment to fighting corruption.

Speaking at the NDC Headquarters during the inauguration of John Mahama’s campaign team, Haruna Iddrisu said what is mind-boggling is that a few months ago, the same President made a spirited defence in court “where it was necessary for the execution of the largest corruption agenda to have an extended public service.”

“So, in one breath, they support it, in another breadth, they are in a hurry to see off the Auditor-General. Principle and contradiction will not be at the centre of John Mahama’s government,” he stated.

He said with the John Mahama campaign will be issues-driven and will succeed in December to kick out Nana Akufo-Addo.