Surcharging corrupt officials good – Appiah-Ofori

The Supreme Court’s directive to the Auditor General to surcharge any person found to have misappropriated public funds is “good” and will ensure state funds are not misappropriated for the benefit of a few people, former MP for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori has said.

According to the anti-corruption campaigner, persons found culpable of embezzling state funds should be punished “ruthlessly” in order to save state resources.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 14 June ordered the Auditor General to, as a matter of urgency, begin the process of surcharging any person found to have misappropriated public funds in their reports.

The court also ordered that where applicable, criminal action should be instituted against accused persons by the Attorney General.

The court reached this decision after pressure group OccupyGhana instituted an action against the Auditor General seeking an order of the court to compel him to not only report on financial misappropriations by public officials but to take steps to retrieve all state funds that may have gone into wrong hands.

Reacting to the court ruling on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Thursday 15 June 2017, the former lawmaker said: “Yes, the Supreme Court has given a good order and it will be complied with.”

He told show host Moro Awudu: “The problem in Ghana is that the Auditor General’s reports are debated in parliament after the debate at the Public Accounts Committee session and after those past governments did not take any actions [against people incriminated] up to the present time. No action.

“So if I steal and you make noise and I don’t go to jail, I’m not prosecuted, why should others also not come and steal? So the main blame belongs to those who have to implement the Auditor General’s report and who fail to implement the recommendations.

“These are the people who must be punished ruthlessly in order to save the state resources. If we destroy the country we destroy it for the younger ones. So at all times we must place national interest above any other consideration and make sure that state funds are not misappropriated for the benefit of a few people.”