Wrongdoers will always find a way - Godfred Dame on fight against economic crime

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame has touted the achievements of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government in the fight against corruption, particularly crime in public offices.

Delivering the Keynote Address at the 40th Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crime, on Monday, September 4, 2023, Dame admitted that Ghana's laws on corruption and crime in public governance, including the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and the Public Procurement Act, 2003, (Act 663) is not “foolproof for wrongdoing.”

"Mr. Chairman, the question to ask is, have these sets of laws been foolproof for wrongdoing? The answer is a resounding no! Indeed, it is the case that wrongdoers will always find a way. They will constantly devise artful means of evading the long arm of the law. In spite of these protective measures, corrupt activities occur at various stages in the procurement process. These unquestionably have a significant negative impact on the economy and harm the development of society. Insider trading is just one of many unethical behaviors. Some officials responsible for procurement activities in various public institutions abuse the trust by engaging in what is popularly known as “behind the scenes” business with contractors and suppliers. The unique position they occupy gives them access to insider information, which they unethically convey to contractors or suppliers to hand an unfair advantage to them over their competitors in a bidding process. This practice results in dissatisfaction and defeats the principle of fairness in procurement. The detection of false or inconsistent claims by contractors is hampered by the illicit protection extended by public procurement officers who have the mandate to detect and revise them. "

He added that even though some persons have managed to manoeuvre their way through the law to perpetuate crimes, a lot of people have been arrested and persecuted for stealing from the state.

Dame went on to cite the example of how the laws of the country caught up with the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei, who violated the procurement laws of the country.

“The most chilling, and perhaps shocking case of insider dealing was witnessed when a former head of the Public Procurement Authority was implicated in what was notoriously dubbed “Contracts for Sale”. As the head of the Procurement Authority, he was alleged to have established a company in which he held majority shares and which also actively bid for government contracts.

“This company was alleged to usually win the contracts which were then sold to other contractors at a higher price. The revelation of these acts promptly resulted in the termination of his employment by the President of the Republic and a withdrawal of his membership of various professional institutions and subsequent prosecution which is still ongoing. The record also shows a trial of other cases involving insider dealing in various courts in Ghana,” he said.

About the symposium

The Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime is organised by some of the world’s leading educational and research institutions with the involvement of numerous governmental agencies, the judiciary, the professions, compliance bodies, and the business world.

It provides a forum for the practical analysis and discussion of the real threats facing our world as a result of criminal and subversive activity.

The Symposium is run on a non-profit making basis - its primary objective being to promote meaningful co-operation in the prevention and control of economically motivated crime and misconduct.

Read Godfred Dame's full speech below:



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