Corruption is a sin against the people – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama says no government must condone corrupt practices as they amount to “a sin against the people”.

He said his government therefore has put in place several measures that are paying off in its fight against the canker.

Speaking on Wa-based Radio Upper West on Saturday, November 19, President Mahama said his fight against corruption has even been recognized by international anti-graft agencies such as the Transparency International.

He said his efforts have led to the retrieval of millions of Cedis otherwise to be paid as judgement debt, showering praises on the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, for her efforts in that bid.

“Our fight against corruption is recognized,” he stressed.

“So we will continue to fight corruption. Statistics even show that our fight against corruption is recognized,” the president said, quoting the recent rating of Ghana as the 7th least corrupt African nation by Transparency International as evidence of his conviction.

“Indeed, under my government, our performance has been far better than it was in previous governments.”

President Mahama insisted that no country – be it developed or not – can insulate itself from graft. “Nobody can relent in the fight against corruption because corruption does not only exist in the developing world, even in the developed world, with all the systems they have put in place, they still have to be vigilant.”

‘Cash economy’

President Mahama, therefore, said the corruption fight will not stop and it will continue even after he leaves power. But he blamed Ghana’s peculiar problem on the system of economy, which places premium on cash transaction.

“We are using too much cash.”

As a result, he pointed out, the next four years will be dedicated to the transaction of businesses electronically. He said by 2021, he expects payment among state institutions to be done electronically.