Corruption rife in Ghana - GII

Accra, August 7, GNA - A research termed "Voice of the People" survey conducted in July 2005 by Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has revealed that corruption is rife in the country.

In the survey it was identified that over 87 percent of respondents were unconcerned about reporting incidences of corruption because they were not sure something will be done about it.

Mr. George Amoh, Coordinator of the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC), who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said ALAC has been established to fill the gap that exist between witnesses and victims of corruption, and the institutions that have been set up by the State to address such matters.

"ALAC therefore provides the platform to link the complainant to the appropriate forum for the necessary redress" he said.

Mr. Amoh said ALAC was first pioneered by Transparency International (TI) in Eastern Europe in 2003, and till date 27 such centres had been established worldwide.

"ALAC strongly believes that people are usually apathetic in the face of corruption because they are not provided with the simple, credible and viable mechanisms to effectively combat the menace" he said.

Mr. Amoh added that ALAC Ghana would, therefore, provide the avenue for people and corporate bodies who have either become victims or witnesses of corrupt practice's to lodge their complaint with the appropriate institutions for redress.

He said since ALAC's inception in May 2009, it has received 13 complaints and has engaged the services of 2 lawyers to offer professional advice and assistance to the complainants.

Mr. Amoh said by the end of the year a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding would be signed with partner state institutions to ensure that cases referred are pursued to their logical conclusions.