Former Auditor General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has praised President John Mahama for declaring his assets, but he emphasized the importance of conducting a lifestyle audit to effectively combat corruption among public officials. During an appearance on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, February 18, he acknowledged the President’s action as a “good gesture” but expressed concerns about the overall process. “It is encouraging to see that the President has declared his assets,” he stated.
“I was not happy to see the envelope being handed to the Auditor General, as this reinforces what many people have claimed: that you simply put your declaration in an envelope, seal it, and give it to the Auditor General. However, that is not the case. The process should have included a thorough review to ensure that the signature is verified and the form is completed correctly. At the very least, that should have been done, but it wasn’t.”
While appreciating President Mahama’s directive for his appointees and public office holders to declare their assets by March 31, Domelevo expressed reservations about the timeline. “To be honest with you, I think March 31 is too far away because the Constitution provides that it should be declared before you take office,” he argued.
“Some will argue that Act 550 allows six months, but Act 550 contradicts the Constitution. I have a letter in my possession, written by former Attorney General Gloria Akuffo, confirming that the provisions of subsection 4(1) of Act 550 contradict the Constitution. However, we have all been upholding and following that.”
Daniel Domelevo was particularly pleased with Mahama’s commitment to hold non-compliant officials accountable. “I’m also happy the President says those who don’t declare are going to be punished or asked to leave office. I think that will cut across everybody, and that will be good,” he stated.
However, the former Auditor General stated that asset declaration alone is insufficient in tackling corruption. “This declaration is good. We must add to it what we call a lifestyle audit and the reversal of the burden of proof,” Mr Domelevo insisted. “If we don’t do these two things so that we can audit and find out ‘how did you get this money?’, people are going to hide their resources or their assets with their families and friends. “Everybody who is suspected of being an ally of a political or public office holder must be subjected to a lifestyle audit.”
By: Abubakar Ibrahim
