‘It isn’t my job to clear or convict corrupt persons; that’s for the courts’
President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he is not a court to clear or convict persons accused of corruption in his government.
That job, he noted, is solely for the courts.
Speaking at a high-level national conference on the theme: “Building a culture of integrity for generations” to commemorate International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day in Accra on Friday, 10 December 2021, the president said no corruption allegation against any of his appointees has gone uninvestigated under him.
“The government has undertaken, arguably, the boldest initiative since our nation attained independence nearly 65 years ago, to reform and strengthen the capacity of our institutions to tackle corruption in the public sector”, the president said.
“Charity, they say, begins at home; and, that is why, so far, every single alleged act of corruption levelled against any of my appointees has been investigated by independent bodies such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and, in some cases, by Parliament itself”, he asserted.
“It is not my job to clear or convict any person accused of wrongdoing or of engaging in acts of corruption; that is the job of the courts”, he emphasised.
The president clarified: “My job is to act on allegations of corruption by referring the issue or issues to the proper investigative agencies for the relevant inquiry and necessary action, including – if required – the suspension of the affected official pending the conclusion of the investigations”.
“That is exactly what has been done since I assumed the mantle of national leadership on 7 January 2017”, said the president.
He recalled; As it was in 2019, I suspending the then acting head of the Republic Procurement Authority from office after conflict of interest and corruption allegations had been levelled against him;.
Following recommendations from CHRAJ based on their investigation,I removed him from office in October 2020 and the office of special Prosecutor, is seized with the matter for prosecution; he noted.
