Seizure of State Assets: Administrator General blames situation on ignorance

The Administrator General, Mr David Yaro, has blamed the numerous cases of seizure of state assets on ignorance of the Presidential Transition Act 2012.

According to him, most past and present government officials are having a first taste of the law since its promulgation; hence, the rough edges.

Speaking on TV3’s News 360 on Monday, February 6, David Yaro said: “The law has not been tested until now that is why it doesn’t seem to be happening properly”.

But he said if the Presidential Estates Unit (PEU), which he heads, was adequately staffed, all these would have been averted.

According to him, the Unit is gravely understaffed.

“If I have staff, even one officer at the regional level, they will be talking to people about what the transition actually means,” he said, “and some of the atrocities we are hearing at the regional levels will not have occurred.”

He condemned the seizures mostly masterminded by supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Government has set up a joint taskforce to ensure retrieval of state assets from individuals, especially past government appointees.

But the task force has been pooh-poohed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which claims it is an appendage of ruling party’s Invisible Forces aimed at visiting mayhem on past government officials.

Mr Yaro has asked for the full cooperation of all to ensure an incident-free transition.