Deputy British High Commissioner repudiates reports on corruption

The Deputy British High Commissioner, Mr Craig John Murray has declared that his statement that "there is corruption in Ghana" was neither new nor should it be misconstrued to mean that the Ghana Government is corrupt."

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has sought clarification from Mr Murray over a statement he was purported to have made at a recent workshop accusing the government of corruption.

The Foreign Ministry statement said at a meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Laryea over the issue, Mr Murray made it known that he was taking steps to write to the "Ghanaian Chronicle" and the "Daily Graphic" to correct the distortion of his statement.

The Statement also carried a copy of a text submitted to the Ministry by Mr Murray, as what he believed was a true reflection of what he said at the workshop.

It read: "These seminars run the risk of beating about the bush. The problem we are seeking to address through transparency is corruption. Corruption exists everywhere there is government. We should look at the mote in our own eye.

There is corruption in the U.K. It had been an issue in the last election. "One unfortunate part of the British colonial legacy to Africa was our official secrets legislation. The British system of governance gave enormous power to the executive. The Individual had only weak common law protection for his rights, which could be removed at any time by the legislature, "This situation was shortly to be remedied by HMG (Her Majesty's Government) with the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights and the improved Freedom of Information Act.

"But having admitted Britain had its problems, Africa had worse problems for corruption. Sadly African governments had seldom been all honourable men. "There is corruption in Ghana. The general perception is that it is getting worse. It is pervasive. Everyone knows its major forms.

Not just minor dash, but payments from contractors to those who awarded the contracts or organisations connected to them, over-invoicing of imports, under-invoicing of exports, corruption in customs and tax collection. "Sadly international companies, including British companies, participated in this illegal activity.

There were other forms. Projects are not finished properly. Roads crack up because they are not built to specification, with skimmed money going high or low, to the awarder of the contract or to the supervisor on the ground. Everyone knows this. "Transparency was needed to shed light into wrong doing but exposure needed to be joined to some certainty of punishment.

There were too many examples of people known to have committed major offences but who could not be touched. "There was a role for the media. Investigative journalism was important to society, but too often in Ghana papers obtained interesting facts but buried them in such a welter of emotion, political slant, wild exaggeration and conjecture that they were lost.

There was a long way to go in achieving objective reporting.

Mr Murray said, "The other major factor required to reduce corruption was a reduction in the role of the government in the economy. Real economic restructuring was not happening at present.

"Privatisation needed to be carried out legitimately, with real money obtained in exchange for public assets to help the fiscal situation. Buyers were needed who could put in investment and had the ability to manage the companies. "The recent IMF Board had given Ghana a record number of waivers.

There was much sympathy for Ghana because of the external trade shocks from commodity price moves. But the sympathy of the economic community is not inexhaustible commodity. Real progress now needs to be made.

"I was delighted to see such a distinguished gathering of able people of goodwill looking at this vital subject. I was pleased to hear John Mahama (Minister of Communications) talk of his plans on freedom of information. I wished the seminar every success."

Under a banner headline "Your government is corrupt-We're just being sympathetic to Ghana," the 'Ghanaian Chronicle' in its report said Mr Murray "pointed accusing fingers at the government in the area of awards of contracts," at a workshop on "Information for accountability" held last Wednesday in Accra. In the said report, the Chronicle quoted Mr Murray as having said that even foreigners awarded contracts are not excused or spared.

It said they are made to pay a percentage sum of money of the value of the contract to the government, even after they had met all the procedure that is required of them.