Domelevo’s leave directive disappointing – Kojo Asante

The Director of Policy Research at the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr. Kojo Asante has described as disappointing, the president’s directive compelling the Auditor General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, to proceed on leave.

Addressing the press at the head office of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in Accra on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, Executive Director of the CDD, Dr. Kojo Asante, was dissatisfied with the President’s decision to only explore the leave option even though there are other mitigating measures.

“It is disappointing that the President chose only one option when this matter was brought to his attention. On the whole, there were other options that could have mitigated the interference of the work of the Auditor-General, and none was taken.”

Leave directive

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday, June 29, 2020, asked Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo to take his accumulated annual leave of 123 days starting Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

But the Office of the President later added 44 more working days to the 132 annual leave days after Mr. Domelevo, in a letter to the Presidency, urged Akufo-Addo to reconsider the directive, claiming that it breaches the labour law and is unconstitutional.

Mr. Domelevo had made use of nine out of his 132 annual leave days since assuming office in December 2016.

The directive which explained that the President's decision was based on sections 20 (1) and 31 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), asked Mr Domelevo to hand over to the Deputy Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, all matters relating to his office until his return from leave.


Suspicions of bad faith

Following the directive that Mr. Domelevo is to hand over his responsibilities to his Deputy, the Auditor-General feels such a move would have “serious implications for the constitutional independence of the office of the Auditor-General.”

Mr. Domelevo said he had observed that his work was “embarrassing the government” based on the posturing of some ministers and correspondence he had had with the Chairman of the Audit Service Board who he noted works at the Office of the Senior Minister.

He also noted that several appointees of the President have not taken their annual leave since 2017.

“The directive, therefore, that I proceed on leave, oblivious of the other workers similarly circumstanced, gives the impression that the decision is not taken in good faith,” he added.