Apply sanctions to fight graft - Kan-Dapaah

A former Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has recommended sanctions as the only way to minimise corruption in the country.

Speaking at a symposium organised by the Forum for Media Accountability and Democratic Governance, Mr Kan-Dapaah expressed worry at the lack of punitive measures meted out to culpable officials who misappropriate state funds.

“The knowledge among public servants that no sanctions will be applied even if they were caught [means] monies can easily be stolen in the public sector primarily because of the ineffectiveness of our accountability institutions and mechanisms coupled with our fear to apply sanctions against those who steal,” he stated.

“Why do we have a government? The primary duty of government is to provide public goods and services to citizens with public funds provided by citizens. To do this, they need money, monies that they themselves don’t have. So come to think of it, the government is about the poorest institution you can have. They don’t make any money, they depend on us the citizens for all the monies they use to provide the public goods and services. This, therefore, creates an accountability relationship between the citizens who provide the public resources and the government that is using those resources to provide us with the public services,” the former legislator added.

There have been calls on public institutions to tighten their grip on corrupt officials by applying sanctions to curb the trend.

Earlier this year, Mr Kan-Dapaah said sanction regimes in the new Public Financial Management Law are not stringent enough to deter people from robbing the state.

The law, when assented to by the president, will regulate the financial management of the public sector to address weaknesses and promote discipline, transparency, and accountability of public funds.

But speaking at a national forum on open governance organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mr Kan-Dapaah said the new law was no different from existing laws in the country.

“There is no clear automatic correction mechanism to control deviations. In countries that have the law, there is always an automatic correction mechanism… The sanctions regime is not deterrent enough, it gives custodial sentence of not less than two years and not more than five years, so if I steal $20 million to go in for only two or five years, I will come back early enough to come and spend the money, so I don’t think it’s frightening enough,” he stated.

“Again, there is no independent fiscal policy council. In Nigeria, for instance, we have an independent fiscal policy council with powers to challenge the government and we have it in Brazil. Over all, I can only say without passing judgment that so far as transparency and accountability are concerned, I think the new law is no better than the existing practices we have today.”