Gov’t challenges Awuni's corruption claims

Government will be inviting the Executive Director of anti-graft body, Centre for Freedom and Accuracy, Andrew Awuni, to answer questions on his claims that Ghana’s image has been dented globally by numerous corruption scandals.

According the CFA Boss, the rising incidents of corruption can be attributed to the lack of political will to punish officials who are indicted in the numerous scandals.

Some of the cases currently being tried at the courts have to do with rot unearthed at the Ghana Youth Entrepreneurial and Employment Development Agency (GYEEDA), Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), National Service Scheme (NSS), Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), among others.

Mr Awuni has also expressed fears that Ghana has lost the fight against corruption, which has become a “developmental canker”.

He further mentioned that government appointees are now mocked in the diplomatic community because of corruption.

Speaking on the Ultimate Breakfast Show, Deputy Communications Minister Mr. Ato Sarpong told host Prince Minkah that Government disagrees with Mr Awuni’s assertions and added that he has been given the chance to explain himself.

“I don’t think so at all. From where we sit and operate, we also interact with the diplomatic community and their thoughts on what we are doing is probably completely different from what honorable is saying on the other side”, he remarked.

“No level of corruption has been leveled against His Excellency the President, the Vice President, His office, Speaker, Chief Justice, Ministers of state. I have been an auditor for many years and I can tell you that at the organisational level, at the corporate level, so many things happen… and I call them coalition processes,” Mr Sarpong added.

The Deputy Communications Minister, who, nonetheless condemned the act of corruption, admonished the former Press Secretary to Ex-President Kufuor to allow the right institutions to execute their mandate on tackling corruption.

“As a democratic nation, we can’t bundle anybody and put the person in jail simply because some level of corruption has been leveled against the person. We must allow the appropriate authorities to deal with it.

“I am sorry, the President can’t take the issue into his own hands and say: ‘Hey, corruption has been leveled against this man so bundle him, sell his properties, put him in jail.’

“We must allow the right authorities to deal with it and it is for the court to deal with it”, the Deputy Communications Minister stated.