ASEPA drags Attorney General to Supreme Court over Asset Declaration Law

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), has filed documents at the Supreme Court of Ghana against the Attorney General of Ghana over the weakness and ineffectiveness of the asset declaration regime, citinewsroom.com reports.

The group wants the Supreme Court of Ghana to make a declaration that the Public Office Holders Declaration Asset and Liabilities Act, Act 550 breaches the letter and spirit of Article 286(1) of the 1992 constitution and therefore to the extent of the inconsistency to be declared null and void.

The Executive Director of ASEPA, Mensah Thompson, in a statement issued on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, demanded full compliance with the Asset Declaration bill by public officers before taking office to curb the menace of corruption in the country.

“A person who holds a public office mentioned in clause (5) of this article shall submit to the Auditor-General a written declaration of all property or assets owned by, or liabilities owed by, him whether directly or indirectly; within three months after the coming into force of this Constitution or before taking office, as the case may be; at the end of every four years; and at the end of his term of office,” parts of the statement read according to Citinewsroom.com

Also, the executive director of ASEPA stated that the Public Office Holders Declaration of Assets and Disqualifications Act (1998) Act 550 which gives public office holders a six-month grace period to declare their assets and liabilities after taking office, is a blunder and not in line with the letter of Article 286(1) of the1992 Constitution of Ghana.

This, they believe, is an anomaly that needs to be corrected to compel public officers to declare their assets on time.

“This error we believe defeats the purpose of asset declarations in the first place because six(6) months it’s a long time for a public office holder to see a significant shift in their asset and liabilities position,” citinewsroom.com quoted.

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