Don't reduce Auditor-General, EOCO case to NDC/NPP politics - Pratt advises

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has said that there is something unusual in the case involving the Auditor-General, Mr. Daniel Domelevo and the EOCO since all Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) have declared their support for him.

He advised that Ghanaians shouldn't reduce the case to the usual NPP/NDC politics.

"Don't reduce it for this case to become NDC versus NPP again," he advised.

According to him, so far twenty-two (22) Civil Society Organizations have all declared support for the Auditor-General and that is unprecedented.

“ I have never seen any issue in this country that all 22 Civil Society Organizations are heading the same direction with their thoughts . . . no matter what you say, something has happened which is unusual,” he stated.

To him, "We should just wait" for the law court to conclude on the case before we apportion blames and find people guilty with a media trial.

“We even talk about treason trial where people are likely to face the death penalty . . . the double standards are too much . . . if we can even talk about treason trial why not a mere interpretation of the law with regards to the powers of EOCO?” he rhetorically asked.

He suggested that we should exercise patience and wait for the court to rule over the case.

CSO’s Support

Twenty-one Civil Society Organisations have backed outspoken Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo amid a controversial investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office.

The Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local chapter of Transparency International, the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) among others in a statement, urged Mr. Domelevo on, adding they hope the “recent turn of events will not deter the Auditor-General from continuing with his work to protect the public purse.”

The said procurement breaches have already been investigated by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) where it was established that there was value for money in the purchase of the vehicles under contention, the CSOs argued.



Government Scheming To Oust Auditor-General?

Government has categorically stated that it does not have plans or any intention to remove Auditor-General, Mr Daniel Domelevo from office.

Meanwhile, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding the arrest and prosecution of Yaw Osafo Maafo, the Senior Minister, over an alleged $1 million deal with UK firm, Kroll Associates.

At a press conference addressed by the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the party insists that the current controversy surrounding the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo, are attempts by the government "to have him removed” to prevent scrutiny of the deal.

The party feels the investigation of the Auditor-General is also "because of his uncompromising stance in the fight against corruption.”

The NDC stressed that “President Akufo-Addo must demonstrate that no one is above the laws of Ghana including Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo.”

“This EOCO investigation is designed as retribution against Mr Domelevo because he has been on the tail of Yaw Osafo Maafo over the latter’s involvement in the massive corruption scandal under which $1 million was paid to Kroll Associates, a UK company for no work done.”

Background

The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) is trying to investigate alleged procurement breaches in the Ghana Audit Service during the purchase of buses by the service in 2018.

But Mr Domelevo has argued that EOCO no longer had jurisdiction to investigate corruption-related offices following the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

The Auditor-General, in a letter dated September 24. 2019, addressed to the Senior Minister, outlined reasons why the Senior Minister’s payment to Kroll Associates was to be disallowed and have him surcharged for the amount of Gh?4,869,421.87 the equivalent of US$1,031,460.50 being payment to Kroll Associates for a contract awarded in September 2017 with the effective date of February 13, 2017.