Politicians urged not to use state funds for political ambitions

Accra, July 24, GNA - Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister of Energy, on Thursday called on politicians not to use state resources for their own political ambitions.

"If we have corrupt people running our political parties definitely we are bound to have corrupt people in government," he said. "When we spend money on a project and do not get the work done on time there is bound to be corruption," he said.

Dr Nduom said this, when he launched a book entitled "Political Corruption in Africa: The case of Contemporary Ghana, Volume One" written by Mr Dominic De Graft Aidoo, a former Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Director.

Dr Nduom urged the SFO as an institution to chart a new image and not to continue to do things that were done some years ago. He also called on politicians not to abuse state institutions for their selfish interest in order to get at their political opponents. Mr De Graft Aidoo said his decision to take up the appointment as the SFO Director stemmed from the challenges facing the institution at the time and the will to overcome it.

He said, even though, they did a good job "the ruling authority of the NDC at the time thought our activities were becoming a problem for them".

Mr De Graft Aidoo said political corruption was one of the main legacies that Ghana inherited from Great Britain.

He also called for an anti-political corruption intervention funded and sustained with local resources to fight the canker.

The 300-page book describes how the SFO was used to target political opponents.

It also gives account of corruption cases investigated by the SFO in the past government and how these investigations stepped on the toes of some powerful people in that administration.