GII Doubts Mahama Over 300 Corrupt Cases

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is doubting government�s claim of prosecuting over 300 people for various corrupt acts. The Executive Director, Vitus Azeem, told Citi FM it is not enough for the President to just announce the number of persons who are being prosecuted without further details. �We don�t know the type of corrupt acts that they are being prosecuted on, and it�s important to know,� he said. President John Mahama on Monday revealed that over 300 individuals are being prosecuted for their involvement in various acts of corruption as of 2013. �As of July 2013, over 300 individuals were on remand for corruption and related offences,� Mr Mahama said. This comes on the heels of the increasing calls on his administration to effectively tackle corruption which has become a bane to the nation�s development. According to the President, the over 300 persons facing prosecution is an indication of government�s determination to win the battle against corruption. However, in an interview with Citi FM, GII boss insisted that prosecuting little acts of corruption to the neglect of the various high-profile corruption cases which have rocked the country in recent times is unfortunate. According to him, the GII has always �emphasised the high-profile cases: the GYEEDA�s [Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Authority] and the SADA�s [Savannah Accelerated Development Authority]. They involve a lot of money.� Mr Azeem remarked that prosecuting persons �for GH�10,000 or GH�20,000 and you count them; that is a bit unfortunate.� He further blamed the government for failing to update Ghanaians on measures it is taking to prosecute and curb acts of corruption in the country. This, he said, gives credence to the seeming perception that the government is failing to tackle issues of corruption. �It�s partly their fault. They don�t let us know what they are doing. When you come and just make such a general statement that 300 people are being prosecuted, how do we know whether it is true or not?� he asked. President Mahama was speaking at a High Level Conference on the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) in Accra on Monday. According to President Mahama, �In respect to allegations of corruption at GYEEDA, there are ongoing prosecutions of public officials involved, including former high-ranking officials. Service providers who breached the terms of their contracts are being held to refund the monies to Government.� �But does this mean that GYEEDA, and all the positive work that it was intended to do in our communities must now be abandoned?� he questioned, adding that �in a democracy, the wheels of justice turn rather slowly.� President Mahama further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the country to implement the Auditor General�s report or face sanctions. Pressure group, OccupyGhana, had earlier threatened to drag the Auditor General to court if it did not retrieve monies that were illegally paid to some individuals. �I am writing to all ministers and giving them deadlines for implementation of Auditor General�s report as it pertains to their various MDAs,� Mahama stated. He said, �Ministers who are supposed to be the Chairpersons of their various ARICS would be required to either surcharge persons for state resources misapplied or in cases where it is recommended, hand over to the Attorney General any persons found culpable of misappropriating government finances.� He insisted that �failure to implement the AG�s report by the deadline will attract severe sanctions on the minister concerned.� Some revelations by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Auditor General�s report have also shown that some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have misused public funds.