Sack Public Officers Who Have Not Declared Their Assets – OSP Board Chairperson To Akufo-Addo

Director for the Ghana Integrity Initiative and Board Chairperson for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Linda Ofori Kwafo, has asked President Akufo-Addo to immediately dismiss public officers who have not declared their assets.

 

According to her, this will give more weight to the President’s commitment to fighting corruption in the country.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, she stressed that sacking public officers who are yet to disclose their assets is the surest way, by which the President can tackle the menace of corruption, which has become a thorny issue in Ghana.

 

“Inasmuch as I know that the sanction for not declaring your asset is not you losing your job, I think the President can send a signal to we the ordinary citizens that he is very much committed to the fight against corruption, because asset declaration is one of the means by which we are able to catch people who take wealth that is not theirs and hide and enjoy when they leave office, [so] the President should sack them,” she said.

 

The anti-corruption crusader was contributing to discussions on the issue of conflict of interest and asset declaration by public officers, which has been triggered by a leaked document purported to be the will of the deceased Forestry Commission CEO, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (popularly known as Sir John).

 

In the will, the late Forestry Commission boss bequeathed portions of the Achimota Forest and Ramsar site to his relatives.

 

The Public Officers Declaration and Disqualification Act (Act 550) says all Public Officers should declare assets they own directly or indirectly before assuming office, however, further checks revealed that he did not comply with the law before assuming office.

 

It has also emerged that other public officers currently holding offices are yet to declare their assets.

Following this, there have been various calls on the President and Parliament to step in and compel public officers to do the needful.

Adding her voice to the discourse, Linda propounded that President Akufo-Addo should either set strict deadlines for public officers who are yet to declare their assets or relieve them of their duties.

“If we are still going back to his initial comments that the public office is not a place for making money and that if anyone wants to make money then they should go to the Private sector, the President should send a very strong signal to the citizenry; either he sacks them or give them timelines within which they should declare their assets.

She also demanded that other public officers who do not occupy political positions should also be compelled to declare their assets.

“Asset declaration is not only for political officeholders. There are judges and university lecturers who are also supposed to declare their assets and so they have to declare their assets and we should go after them as well.

“We should insist that those who are occupying public offices declare their assets. Those who are Ministers of state who have not yet declared, I am pleading with the President to give them some days, strict deadlines, or sack them,” he added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Myjoyonline