Stop shielding corrupt government officials – Mahama tells Akufo-Addo

The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has advised President Akufo-Addo to stop shielding corrupt officials in his government.

Addressing residents of Ashalley Botwe in the Adentan constituency on Tuesday, on the last day of his five-day campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, Mahama noted that the Special Prosecutor’s just-released report on the Agyapa mining royalty deal imputes wrongdoing on the part of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.

“But because he is the cousin of the President, he cannot do anything to him and he cannot sack him too,” he added.

Mahama said the same treatment was, however, not meted out to the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority, Adjenim Boateng Adjei, who was sacked after being investigated by CHRAJ for corruption and conflict of interest.

The former PPA boss was accused of sidestepping procurement processes for personal gains through an expose’ by investigative journalist Manasseh Azuri, dubbed “Contracts for Sale”.

Mahama pointed out that President Akufo-Addo has defied his own solemn promise to fight corruption and has also filled his government with members of his family and friends, despite promising not to do so in the 2016 election. He said the test of a leader’s commitment to the fight against corruption is when he or she is able to take on appointees of the government who engage in corruption.

“So President Akufo-Addo should be bold and punish his government officials found to be corrupt but not to wait for the NDC government to come and be prosecuting them,” he added.

Mahama also took the opportunity to explain to the electorates how the balloting has been done and how they should cast their vote without spoiling the ballot.