President Akufo-Addo finally declares assets, yet to make it public

pulse-ghana admin

January 26, 2017 7:28 PM

The declaration is constitutionally mandated of all public officers and comes after the president had tried but was unsuccessfully in declaring his assets. The president is however yet to make the declaration public knowledge.

According to presidential sources, Nana Akufo-Addo made the declaration on January 26, 2017. The president is, however, yet to make the declaration public knowledge.

The declaration is constitutionally mandated of all public officers and comes after the president had tried but was unsuccessfully in declaring his assets.

Why couldn’t he declare?

President Nana Akufo-Addo had a taste of the inefficiencies in Ghana’s public service when he attempted to declare his assets to the Auditor General.

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The president was hoping to fulfill the constitutional requirement of declaring his assets upon assuming the highest office of the land but that could not happen because the Auditor General’s department has run out of receipt books.

The president was said to be shocked when the official he sent to carry out the obligation, reverted with the news. The receipt book is needed to serve as proof that the mandatory exercise of asset declaration had been carried out by the president.

The situation was compounded when the official asked that a phone call be placed when the department had been restocked with receipt books so he could come back.

Surprisingly, he was told the landline phones at the department were also not working.

Analysis

President Nana Akufo-Addo assumed office on January 7, 2017 following a successful election campaign during which he promised to clamp down on corruption.

Although he is mandated to declare his assets only to the Auditor General before and after his term, the president has in the past committed to make that declaration public.

The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has called on the new government and its officials to publicly declare their assets.

pulse-ghana admin