KEY POINTS
- Former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo says public officials are stealing public funds.
- He questions how politicians amass wealth beyond their official salaries.
- Weak enforcement of asset declaration laws enables corruption to thrive.
Daniel Yaw Domelevo, the former Auditor General, has once again denounced corruption in public authorities, claiming that the problem is founded on proven evidence of stealing rather than suspicion.
Domelevo says corruption among public officials is well-documented
On Tuesday, February 18, Domelevo stated on Joy News‘ PM Express that there is ample evidence of public officials embezzling public monies.
“They have repeatedly demonstrated that they have been embezzling public funds, but we are not suspicious of them,” Domelevo stated. There is a ton of proof. Examine the report of the Auditor General. It demonstrates how frequently governmental officials embezzle money for personal gain.
Given their official incomes, Domelevo voiced alarm over the quick buildup of wealth among public officials.
“Look at how rich they are, even though many of them have only been in power for four or perhaps eight years at most. It’s startling,” he remarked. “It just does not match up when you look at their assets versus their earnings. Even though I made more money as Auditor General than certain MPs, many of them are 100 times wealthier than me. How did they generate that amount of money?
Weak enforcement of asset declaration laws frustrates accountability
He maintained that certain public officials have blatantly misused their positions, even though he conceded that not all of them are dishonest.
As he reflected on his time there, Domelevo realized that even those who were supposed to enforce asset declaration regulations had trouble doing so.
“When we first started, it was evident that even the judiciary, which ought to be at the forefront of law enforcement, had not complied,” he stated. “This included a number of judges from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court, as well as former Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.”
He chastised the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for failing to bring non-compliant authorities accountable.
“I was disappointed when people petitioned CHRAJ because the Commission just said that there are no legal penalties for not declaring assets,” he remarked. “Basically, it was a ‘go and sin no more’ scenario.”
Domelevo questioned why certain constitutional requirements—like asset declaration—are disregarded while others are adhered to rigorously.
“A person is in office unconstitutionally if they skip the process required by the Constitution before taking office,” he stated.
It’s like a president entering office without being sworn in, he said.
Could President Mahama, for example, awaken on January 7, 2025, and begin running the government without taking the oath of office? No, he responded, that would not be permitted.
