Accra, Ghana, June 19, 2019//-Studies from the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) revealed that GHc9.6 billion has been lost to public sector corruption under the watch of the Akufo-Addo-led government since 2017.
The Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, who was appalled at this development lamented: “Weak governance and corruption hurt every nation, and the poor are often the hardest hit”.
He continued: “Over the years, Ghana has lost a great fortune to corruption, and since its inception in November 2017, Corruption Watch alone has discovered 9.6 billion Ghana cedis stolen from the public purse”.
Everyone here – every individual and every organization has an obligation to act with integrity, expose corrupt practices, and more importantly, help retrieve funds that have been embezzled, Prof Prempeh stated at the premiering of an anti-corruption documentary in Accra.
The documentary put out by the CDD-Ghana’s Corruption Watch initiative, a leading anti-corruption campaign which seeks to promote integrity in public life, noted corruption in the country is growing.
Prof Prempeh who quoted copiously from recent Afrobarometer data, added: “Almost two-thirds (64%) of Ghanaians want corrupt officials prosecuted and if found guilty, jailed and forced to return stolen funds, which should be used to build a public facility with the culprit’s name inscribed on it.”
“Another one-fifth (22%) favour government retrieval of stolen funds without prosecution. Only one in 10 (9%) would opt for prosecution without retrieval of stolen funds,” he added.
Prof Prempeh noted that Ghanaians place a “high premium on the need for asset recovery” and urged them to keep vigil on the finances of the country and how it is being used.
African Eye Report
