The government must implement practical steps, according to the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), to guarantee that the country's asset reporting legislation is followed.
It claimed that harsher fines must be used in order to significantly dissuade officials who under-disclose or fail to declare their assets and liabilities. This is necessary for a more effective asset regime.
The coalition outlined the main causes of non-compliance with the Act as being the absence of specified penalties along with other elements of the nation's present asset disclosure system, which is outlined in Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Mr. Samuel Harrison-Cudjoe, Consultant with GACC, stated that the Conduct of Public Officers bill presented in 2018 did not fully address important asset declaration-related concerns.
He claimed that paragraph 44 failed to include the Office of the Special Prosecutor, whose duties included the prosecution of crimes involving corruption.
The measure, according to the consultant, would specify the conditions for being disqualified from holding public office, the disclosure of assets, what constituted illegal enrichment, solicitation, and the seizure and disposal of unlawful gifts after it became law.
According to him, citizens have the right to legally contact the government so that officials may be held accountable.
We as people could be watchdogs and make sure that public officials carry out their duties because our voices could be heard, he suggested. "The asset declaration regime may have helped curb corruption, but nobody is assuring its execution.
The 2018 measure, he added, "seeks to give rules for the behaviour of public officers with clarity on what they had a legal right to do. However, there are aspects that require change."
Speaking on government appointments, Mr. Cudjoe claimed that those who were appointed lacked national character since politicians held a position of power, influencing choices and subtly managing matters.
He claimed that now was the right moment to set up the mechanisms so that Ghana's people could freely choose the leaders they wanted by casting their votes.
He said that while GACC did not take a position on the current request for a constitutional revision, it did think that government must address the pressing needs of the populace. In conclusion, he stated that while corruption was a momentary benefit for offenders and a national disease that impacted everyone, "each of us has an important role to play in curbing corruption for the national good."
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