‘Mighty people’ in govt trying to make Domelevo useless – Franklin Cudjoe

Founding President of think tank, IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has pointed fingers at some influential people in the Akufo-Addo government for the controversial directive to the Auditor-General to take his mandatory annual leave.

Franklin Cudjoe said Daniel Domelevo was compelled to take his accumulated 123 days’ leave because powerful people who are uncomfortable with is anti-corruption crusade want to render him useless as Auditor-General.

“It is an attempt to render him useless and ineffective and absent. What it means is that his subordinates who have been asked to act would also be careful because he [Domelevo] knows that if he begins to take on some of these mighty people then there will be questions,” Franklin Cudjoe said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo explained in the letter directing Mr Domelevo to proceed on the mandatory leave that, the decision was partly informed by the fact that since his appointment on December 30, 2020, Mr Domelevo has taken only nine working days of his accumulated 132.

However, Mr Cudjoe said that excuse is not convincing.

“The man has not complained of being tired and the man has been acting and getting closer to certain nefarious activities regarding the use of our public money; you can count the number of things he was getting on to, and it was actually getting too uncomfortable for the liking of anybody,” he said.

He added: “It is an exercise of presidential power to evade accountability by some actors who are cloaked and shielded by the Presidency. It is clear. Let’s not mince words about these things at all.”



He said this government’s image in fighting corruption will be badly damaged internationally because of the action taken against Domelevo.

Mr Domelevo is regarded as an astute anti-graft campaigner and has in the last couple of months clashed with some high placed government officials while carrying out his mandate.

While some view the directive from the Presidency as consistent with the law, others say it is part of a grand scheme to remove him from office.

Mr Domelevo clashed with Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo and the Finance Ministry, claiming they have colluded to pay UK firm, Kroll and Associates Limited, $1 million for no evidence of work done.

The UK firm in 2017 was contracted by the government to recover assets from identified wrongdoers, among others.

But the Auditor-General later claimed that after an audit, there was no evidence of work done by Kroll and Associates Limited and yet huge sums of money were paid to the company and then imposed a disallowance and surcharge on the Minister and four others.

In that matter, the Senior Minister filed an appeal against the decision before an Accra High Court.