‘I feel happy, vindicated’ – Domelevo reacts to Supreme Court victory over ‘unconstitutional’ forced leave

Daniel Yao Domelevo, the former Auditor-General, has expressed his happiness and sense of vindication following a Supreme Court ruling that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's directive for him to take 169 days of forced leave in 2020 was "unconstitutional."

Civil society organizations filed a suit arguing that the president's actions undermined the independence of the Auditor-General's office, after Mr. Domelevo's forced leave had sparked allegations of attempts to hinder anti-corruption efforts.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, upheld the suit, declaring the president's directive as "unconstitutional and null and void," thus putting an end to two years of legal disputes after the president rejected appeals to rescind the directive.

In an interview on Accra-based JoyNews' Upfront show on Wednesday, May 31, Mr. Domelevo expressed his satisfaction with the court's decision, stating that he felt vindicated.

"I was not jumping around but I felt vindicated when the decision came. If you remember, when I wrote to the office of the president to draw the attention of the president to the unconstitutionality of the directive from the president, I was told it’s because I am not a lawyer, I don’t appreciate the law, and I am happy that those in whose bosom reside the interpretation of the constitution and the laws have affirmed my position,” he said.

He added, "I am ultimately happy because those who come after me will not have to go through this again."

Mr. Domelevo believed that the verdict would discourage similar unlawful acts against his successors, and expressed his hope for caution to be exercised in order to avoid a recurrence of such a situation in the future.



"Going forward, I hope that care will be taken so that we do not find ourselves in such a situation again," he concluded.

Meanwhile, anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem has said that the Supreme Court should not have taken more than three months to reach a verdict on the matter.

According to him, the almost three years used by the court to reach a final decision under the circumstance means justice has been denied the former Auditor-General.

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