State Attorney asks public officials to declare assets

Cape Coast, Sept. 14, GNA - A Principal State Attorney has asked all public officials to declare their assets as required by law as a means of enhancing transparency and accountability towards strengthening the country's democracy and governance.

Mr Anthony Rexford Wiredu, a State Attorney for the Central region, said public officials are expected to exhibit self-discipline in the discharge of their duties and also support the work of agencies set up to ensure accountability and good governance.

He was opening a two-day workshop on the theme: "Fighting corruption - An Agenda for Democracy and Good Governance", at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Thursday.

The workshop was organised by the Ghana Integrity initiative (GII) in collaboration with the regional secretariat of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE).

The participants included heads of departments and assembly members. They will be discussing factors that breed corruption. Mr Wiredu pointed out that the fight against corruption must be backed by "political will and genuine determination" and expressed concern that government officials had not shown the requisite commitment, asking how many of them had declared their assets since the passage of the law.

Opening the workshop, Right Reverend Isaac Quansah, Bishop of Cape Coast Diocese of the Methodist Church, pointed out that bribery and corruption existed not only among public officials, but also in the private sector.

He noted that corruption bred poverty and deprived people of their rights to ownership and retarded development.

Bishop Quansah called for institutionalising transparency in public administration adding that there was need for external transparency through public access to government information.

He also called on the media to expose the abuse and arbitrary discretion of people in government adding that the state should embrace independent journalists and watchdogs as vital part of communication strategies for combating corruption.

"The media should also endeavour to be accountable and set its own code of ethics so that it would not be captured by private interest of government power," he stated.

Rt. Rev. Quansah warned that good governance would be a mere slogan if corruption reigned supreme and tasked all peace-loving Ghanaians, Non-Governmental Organisations and religious bodies to support the fight against the canker.

He urged the government to adequately resource institutions such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Serious Fraud Office, Attorney General's Department and the Electoral Commission to enable them perform effectively.

Mr Vitus Azeem, Executive Secretary of GII, observed that there was no single or outright action to curb corruption, but said legislative and institutional reforms were necessary to reduce it.

He said there was the need to enact transparency enhancing legislation, such as a law for Freedom of Information, as well as amend the oath of secrecy to promote a culture of transparency and accountability.

He suggested the review of the current asset declaration act to ensure that disclosures were verified and compliance enforced. He said the government closed its ears to complaints of corruption among public officials, alleging that funds acquired for the Ghana@50 celebrations were misappropriated.

He called on Parliament to urgently institute a bi-partisan investigation into each account.

The Regional Director of NCCE, Mr Frank Adoba, deplored the extent of corrupt practices and criminal activities being perpetrated by the youth.

He also expressed concern that those engaged in such acts were between the ages of 18 and 35. According to him, the tendency to mix both hardened criminals and those convicted for civil offences in the prisons had made prisons an "Academy of armed robbers."

He therefore appealed to the authorities to ensure the separation of the two groups of prisoners. He also called for the equipping of youth training centres to provide employable skills to the youth as well as to enhance their access to information. Mr Adoba held that bringing the public abreast to national issues should not only be done during people's assemblies. 14 Sep. 07