President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, through his Executive Secretary, has fired back at the Executive Director of Afrobarometer, describing his recent statement on the president’s anti-corruption credentials as loose and thoughtless.

Prof Boadi in a recent interview whilst commenting on the order to former Auditor General, Mr Daniel Yao Domelevo to proceed on mandatory retirement, said the order by the president was a huge dent on the president’s anti-corruption credibility which he described as being in tatters.

“As for the President’s credibility in terms of anti-corruption, I am afraid to say it is in tatters. It has been in tatters for a while but this puts a nail in the coffin. I see Domelevo as a victim of well-orchestrated actions by individuals who are government officials and by state institutions,” Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said in an interview on Citi News monitored by GhanaWeb.

He added “Mr. Domelevo was exercising proper constitutional and legal oversight and officials and institutions that Mr. Domelevo has sought to hold to account. The man was doing his best to protect the public purse to claim surcharges for improperly spent public funds. One who is trying to fight corruption is one who is being persecuted and hounded out of office.”

However, taking exception to the statement in a release addressing accusations by the Civil Society Organizations Against Corruption in which the Presidency was accused of targeting and unconstitutionally causing Mr Domelevo’s retirement, the President’s Office stated that the Executive headed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had in no way targeted the former Auditor-General.

According to the Presidency, Mr Domelevo during his thanksgiving service after his retirement had himself confirmed that the President had actually supported him during his time hence describing Prof. Boadi’s statement as loose and thoughtless.

“It is, thus, very disappointing to hear a very senior and otherwise distinguished member of civil society make such loose and thoughtless statement like the President’s credibility on anti-corruption is in ‘tatters’ and ‘has been in tatters for a while,’ and that the compulsory retirement of Mr Domelevo puts nail in the coffin of the President’s credibility.

According to the Presidency “such statements are not based on facts and driven likely by emotions. The fact is that the President’s credibility on anti-corruption is unmatched and no amount of misconceived opinions can change that.”

Read the full statement signed by Nana Asante Bediatuo below: