Mrs. Addah has described Dr. Dominic Ayine’s approach as measured and encouraging, while calling for sustained political will and evidence-led action to secure long-term gains.

Dr. Ayine briefed the press on the various suspected scandals on the National Service Secretariat on 13 June, during which he outlined key updates on the government’s anti-corruption agenda, specifically the implementation of the ORAL (Operation Recover All Looots) framework.

The update detailed cases currently under review and reaffirmed the government’s intention to root out corruption through due process.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday June 14, Mrs Addah noted that the steps taken so far mark a constructive beginning.

“What he has done has not in any way indicted anybody. He has been able to establish a prima facie case of sorts, so he wants to pursue this agenda,” she said. “And we know that the fight against corruption is a matter of perception and experiences. There has been a lot that has been done to produce evidence.”

Mrs Addah pointed out, have high expectations for this administration’s commitment to transparency, particularly after the return of the NDC to power.

“The people of Ghana who brought the NDC back to power are expecting that, per the ORAL agenda and other initiatives they put in place to fight corruption, we would see results,” she remarked.

“So what the Attorney General is doing is just updating us on the operationalisation of that agenda,” she added.

Mrs Addah praised the political tone set thus far by both the Attorney General and President Mahama, noting that such posture is crucial in the early stages of a new administration.

“The optics thus far have been very good from the President and also the Attorney General. Usually, during the first year of a new government, we tend to see a lot of this good faith displayed. However, as time goes on, they often become defensive and start shielding their own.”

She added: “I believe in this case we should see a President who truly wishes to leave a legacy for the good people of Ghana.”

Looking ahead, Addah called for continued collaboration between the Attorney General’s office and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), both of which she believes are crucial pillars in strengthening Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture.

“If the Attorney General keeps this up, and the OSP continues its work as before, we will see Ghanaians wholeheartedly supporting this agenda. I believe we can make gains,” she noted.

However, she emphasised the importance of focusing not only on the minor actors but on holding key figures accountable.

“I personally would want to see everyone who is guilty or complicit dealt with,” she stated.

“But often, when you examine the merits of the various cases, you may find little evidence against smaller players. If they can help build strong cases against the major perpetrators and bring them to justice, then that is a step in the right direction,” she concluded.

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Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem the Fundraising Manager of GII, Michael Boadi, called for a thorough and independent investigation into the matter.

He stressed that the Attorney General must avail himself for investigation to clear his name.

“This is a corruption-related allegation, and it must be treated seriously. The Attorney General should subject himself to investigation to protect the integrity of his office,” Mr. Boadi said.

He noted that institutions such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service have the mandate to probe such allegations.

“The OSP, CHRAJ, and CID can all investigate this matter. The Special Prosecutor is legally empowered to do so, but the AG must not act as a barrier to that process,” Mr. Boadi explained.

He further stressed the need for both parties—the AG and A Plus—to follow due process.

“It’s not just about defending personal reputation. This concerns the integrity of our governance systems. A Plus should formally report the matter to the appropriate investigative bodies, and the AG should allow the law to take its course,” he added.

Mr. Boadi criticized the idea of engaging in a public feud over such a serious matter.

“It is painful when someone tarnishes your image, but the solution is not to descend into the mud. The AG should clear his name through legal channels, not exchanges in the public,” he said.

The Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has already dismissed the allegations made by A Plus, who accused him of manipulating the drafting and passage of the Sanitation and Pollution Levy in 2021 for personal gain while in opposition.

In response, Dr. Ayine said during a press briefing on April 30: “If I have to walk in the mud to clear my name, I will do so. I will not allow anyone to tarnish my image without a fight.”

Mr. Boadi, however, insisted that “this is not just a personal issue. It’s a national concern, and both parties must use the right legal procedures to ensure transparency and accountability.”

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According to her, public officials who fail to play their part in the fight against the canker that is bedeviling the country must be dealt with.

This, she argued, will send strong signals of the state’s interest in fighting corruption.

Speaking to JoyNews, Madam Addah said, “we are all advocating that we want to see the Public Accounts Committee take up its mandate of ensuring that it makes concrete recommendation and file same to the Attorney-General for either advise or prosecution.

“And so if they have taken up this mandate and they want to carry it out, anybody in the way who is impeding this process must be held accountable.”

Her comments come days after the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, James Klutse Avedzi accused the Clerk of Parliament of refusing to refer a number of cases from the committee to the Attorney General’s office for prosecution.

While responding to a question on which of the matters referred to the Attorney General had been prosecuted so far, Mr Avedzi revealed that Parliament has failed to transmit any of the referrals since 2017 to the AG, until this year.

“The challenge we had as a committee was that when we did all these, Parliament was not communicating to the Attorney General for them to take action until one day the Attorney General appeared before the Committee and I asked him about it and he said nothing has been communicated to him.

“So I had to do a follow-up and ask the Clerk of Parliament to communicate these referrals to the Attorney General’s Office,” he stressed.

But touching on this, the anti-corruption campaigner said the development is unacceptable.

“There have been so many instances where public officers have either negligently done some of these things. But the question we should be asking ourselves is, when people do these things or sleep on duty what are the sanctions given to ensure that it does not repeat in the future?

“Anybody in the way who is impeding this process must be held accountability”.

Source: Myjoyonline

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She emphasised that while single-sourcing is legal under specific conditions, its increasing use has raised concerns about public sector corruption.

Single-sourcing procurement involves the buying entity selecting a particular supplier without opening the process to competitive tender.

This method, though legal under certain circumstances, is often seen as a gateway for corrupt practices within the public sector.

Madam Addah highlighted that many stakeholders have linked the prevalence of corruption in the public sector to the frequent use of single-sourcing procurement.

She argued that relying on a single supplier without competition undermines transparency and accountability in the procurement process.

To combat this issue, the GII Executive Director recommended that public procurement should be subjected to a competitive tendering process.

She believes that this approach would help eliminate corruption by ensuring that all suppliers have an equal opportunity to bid for contracts, thereby promoting fairness and transparency.

Madam Addah’s call for reform comes amidst growing concerns about the integrity of public procurement practices.

She stressed the need for stringent measures to ensure that public procurement processes are fair, transparent, and free from corruption, ultimately contributing to better governance and public trust.

“Out of the total procurement window, almost 85 per cent of it is done through a single source. And if it is a single source, it means there are a lot of compromises being reached.”

“If people are buying school materials, textbooks, and the rest in the education sector, health items, and we are procuring them through single source procurement, while the IMF has recommended that we do a lot more of the competitive tendering, then it means we are compromising on the regime and that affects mostly the private sector.”

This comment comes after JoyNews’ investigations uncovered how customs officials take bribes to allow traders to transport smuggled goods from neighbouring countries to the country’s local markets.

These officials take bribes ranging from ¢20 to ¢200 to allow these traders who have evaded paying taxes on their goods to get off the hook.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on July 29, she said there is a need for a trustworthy complaint system where people can report issues confidentially and expect solutions.

“When people who have lamented and complained have issues and they know that this mechanism can be trusted, it is confidential and they know that they will make their complaints and get solutions to them, then they would do so.”

“So we have proposed the toll-free line that we use for the advocacy and legal advice centre to the customs division”.

She also stated that there have been efforts to train customs officials and improve their integrity.

According to the Executive Director, if the system is implemented, the only reason people might think they can evade consequences is when they believe their actions are protecting the country.

“Those who are protecting the country will know that if they try, they will be caught and when they are caught, they will be sanctioned heavily. I believe they have a unit that is dealing with that. So if we are successful with this, we will see a lot of changes.”

“When people get sacked for the 20 cedis they take, then their friends would be thinking twice before taking any such action in the future. So reporting whistle-blowing effectively and also ensuring there is great compliance, and those who are guilty are taken through the process to get punished in the courts, I believe that is the only way we can deal with this,” she said.

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In recent times, the judiciary has granted a similar request made by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to allow television coverage of the court proceedings on the suits brought against the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

Following the controversy around the ambulance procurement case involving the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP has written to request for a live coverage of the subsequent proceedings has been done in the case of the anti-LGBTQ+bill.

This request was detailed in a letter from his lawyers to the Chief Justice on Thursday, May 30.

Dr Ato Forson explained in a social media post that this move is prompted by recent allegations of misconduct against the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame.

Last week, Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the case claimed that the Attorney-General had encouraged him to provide false testimony against Dr Ato Forson in the trial.

In support of Jakpa’s allegations, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) released a 16-minute phone recording purportedly capturing a conversation between Dame and Jakpa.

The recording allegedly reveals Dame coaching Jakpa on what statements to make in court to incriminate Dr Ato Forson.

At a press conference on May 28, NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia asserted that the tape exposed a coaching session aimed at manipulating Mr Jakpa’s testimony.

In light of these developments, Dr Ato Forson argues that broadcasting the trial live would ensure transparency and uphold the principles of open justice, allowing citizens to form informed opinions and hold participants accountable.

Commenting on this request, the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Addah backed the call.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM show, she stated, “I believe so; it does not take anything away. It only enhances the process, making it transparent and giving opportunity to every Ghanaian to see what is happening, and we can form our own opinion of the process therein.”

On calls for the Attorney General to resign, Mrs Addah said it may never happen.

“I do not see that happening. We would make those calls. It would be good if people stepped aside and allowed that to happen, but in the space we find ourselves, we have not seen that happen too often. It is a novelty. People who understand the law have said this: Because of the ethical issues, unfortunately, we have not heard the Attorney General himself come up, so perhaps this is the time for him to speak out” she added.

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Mrs. Addah’s appointment takes effect on September 4, 2023, and she succeeds Mrs Linda Ofori Kwafo in this pivotal role.

Mary Addah is a well-known figure in the realm of anti-corruption advocacy and governance.

According to the GII Board in a statement, her impressive track record includes numerous media engagements addressing corruption-related issues, where her expertise and adeptness have been evident.

Her journey with GII commenced in November 2009 when she joined as a Senior Programmes and Research Officer.

Over the years, she ascended through the ranks, eventually becoming GII’s programme manager in May 2014, a position she held until her new appointment as Executive Director.

Prior to her tenure at GII, Mrs Addah amassed experience in both state and non-state organisations, including the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC), the Centre for Community and Social Development (CENCOSAD), and the Ghana Education Service.

Mrs. Addah holds a Master’s degree in development studies and a Bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Ghana.

Her other credentials include multiple certificates in Governance, Anti-Corruption, Leadership, Fundraising, and Monitoring and Evaluation from esteemed institutions such as the Robert Wagner Graduate School at New York University and DANIDA fellowships.

Her expertise extends to the intricate intersections between governance, public policy, and the fight against corruption.

Her active involvement in various anti-corruption initiatives underscores her commitment to the cause.

She serves as a crucial member of the steering committee of Ghana’s Citizens’ Movement against Corruption (CMaC), represents civil society organisations (CSOs) on the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee, and is a member of the NACAP Monitoring and Implementation Committee (MONICOM), among other notable roles.

The statement signed by Reverend Dr. Emmanuel K. Ansah, Board Chair of GII, said Mrs. Mary Awelana Addah’s appointment as the Executive Director of GII signals a new era in the organisation’s dedication to combating corruption and promoting integrity within Ghana.

“With her wealth of experience and commitment, the fight against corruption is set to reach new heights under her leadership.”

The Organization said the “protocol list” has created loopholes for people to cheat, stressing that everybody must have fair and equal opportunity in the placement system. 

The Fourth Estate, a media organisation, recently released a documentary, “School Placement for Sale”, which captured parents, guardians, and officials in charge of school placement allegedly making “deals” to put wards in desired institutions in 2022. 

Parts of the video showed some parents paying as much as GHS20,000 to get their children placed in schools, while others paid GHS8,500 to get their children placed in preferred schools. 

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Michael Boadi, the Fundraising Manager, of GII, called for a transparent investigative team “to deal with persons associated with the school placement scandal”. 

He said the protocol system, which gave preferential admission to some students, led to the exploitation of the system. 

The special protocol list in the school selection and placement system is for key stakeholders like chiefs, churches, founders of the schools, and former students who contribute to the development of their secondary schools. 

But Mr Boadi said, “there is no need to streamline the quota system. Once there is an exception to every rule, people will want to exploit the system, and we must avoid it completely. ”  

The absence of a quota or protocol system, he said, would make it difficult for someone to infiltrate and take advantage of the system. 

He said corruption had taken over every fiber of society, and because the issue had not been dealt with, people were not afraid to engage in corrupt practices. 

Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe, Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, said Parliament would discuss the issue when it resumes on February 7 to avert any infractions for this year’s placement. 

Kwasi Kwarteng, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, commended the Fourth Estate for the piece and said the Ministry would collaborate with all stakeholders to get to the bottom of the issue. 

In a statement on January 29, 2023, the Ministry of Education advised parents, prospective Senior High School students, parents, and the public against the payment of money to secure school placement. 

The Ministry stressed that the school selection and placement process was based purely on merit and took no other consideration whatsoever.  

The directive, this week, by the EC that all aspirants to the presidency should each pay GH¢100,000, has been met with mixed reactions.

On Tuesday evening, The Big Agenda on Adom TV put the issue out for analysis.

Speaking for CDD-Ghana, Research Analyst and team leader for elections, Rhoda Osei-Afful asserted that access to power should not be sold to anyone that is why “in our laws, there’s provision for the number of registered members.”

The Ghana Integrity Initiative, adding its weight to the resistance, insisted that before such fees can be tolerated, monies contributed by individuals and companies to support elections must be strictly scrutinised and controlled.

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According to the CSOs, there has been a notion created that to become a president one must be filthy rich, and the exorbitant filing fee seems to give grounds to that claim.

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is pleading with the government to publish the concession agreement with Power Distribution Services (PDS).

Though the government has announced that full-scale investigations into the detected breaches in the concession agreement with PDS will be completed within 30 days, the Ghana Chapter of Transparency International believes documents of the contracts should be made available to the public.

Government has suspended the PDS concession agreement because of suspicion that the guarantees were fake.

The government has said it will take 30 days to complete its full-scale inquiry into the breaches it detected with the contract of PDS.

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Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Thursday, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the government had put together a team made up of insurance investigation experts, officials of the Energy and Finance Ministries and officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana and MIDA to look into the matter.

According to the fundraising manager of GII, Michael Boadi, it would be appropriate for the government to immediately publish the said documents because he believes it would help the public get a better look and understanding of the concession fiasco.

“Considering how sensitive the matter is, I think it would be good for government to disclose the full details to Ghanaians because they did all in our name. Why did they sign a contract in secret? Now that there is a fiasco, they are announcing it. If so then they should give us the full details to appreciate what is happening,” he told Accra based Neat FM, monitored by Adomonline.com.

Source: Adomonline.com | Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

He said it was unacceptable for people assigned the responsibility to implement safety nets such as the National Health Insurance Scheme, School Feeding Programme and Subsidized Fertilizer Distribution to misuse the mandate given to them to enrich themselves – depleting the national kitty at the expense of the masses.

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The CHRAJ Commissioner expressed worry that value for money analysis showed that public expenditure was often overstated such that most expenditure items could get three times more value adding “such practices are inimical to the Country’s development and undermined the impact of laudable interventions to enhance their living conditions, must stop”.

He was speaking at a corruption sensitization forum held in Kumasi under the National Anti-corruption Action Plan (NACAP), to educate identifiable groups in the Ashanti Region on the need to reject corrupt acts in all its forms.

It formed part of activities under the Integrity, Mobilization, Participation, Accountability, Anti-corruption and Transparency (IMPACT) Ghana Project supported by Global Affairs, Canada.

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It is being implemented jointly by the Commission on Human Rights and administrative justice (CHRAJ), Ghana Integrity International (GII) – the local chapter of Transparency International and the Ghana News Agency.

Put together by the implementing bodies, the workshop was attended by representatives from civil society organizations, security services, faith-based organizations, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and the media.

The Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ said corruption, lawlessness and indiscipline had taken over both public and private institutions, wreaking havoc in every sector of the economy.

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He blamed weak political will to invest in and pursue anti-corruption measures, high tolerance of corruption, political interferences in corruption fight efforts, public cynicism and apathy towards anti-corruption efforts, as the cause for the endemic canker.

NACAP, he noted, was a national strategy for battling corruption in Ghana over a period of 10 years, as an adopted transformational and human rights-based approach to stem the social evil.

He said the expectation was that in 10 years, NACAP would have institutionalized efficiency, accountability and transparency in public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Madam Mary Addah, Programmes Manager of GII, said NACAP was a strategy designed to comprehensively fight corruption at all levels of national endeavours.

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She said there would be intermittent reviews of the programme to gauge the progress and make the necessary adjustments going forward.

She disclosed that only 87 institutions across the country reported corrupt activities under NACAP last year and stressed the need to create more awareness about the programme.

Mr. Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister in a speech read on his behalf, said Ghana had made great strides in tackling corruption but perceptions of corruption was progressively increasing in society.

He said with the increasing reports of corruption in recent years, attempts to address the problem had intensified, with Ghana developing and implementing several anti-corruption initiatives and ratifying international conventions to arrest it.

He said NACAP was one of such initiatives as it enjoined and brought together various stakeholders to collectively fight corruption through education and awareness creation, prevention and investigation as well as enforcement.