In order to press home the demand for accountability from state actors, a new coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance has been unveiled to champion that cause.
The coalition is calling on the government to as a matter of urgency impress upon the Auditor-General to exercise his powers under the constitution to issue surcharges and disallowance against persons cited for various financial irregularities in the 2019 and 2020 Auditor-General’s report.
“We note in 2018, Mr. Daniel Domelovo, then Auditor-General, recovered over GHS66million back to government coffers through surcharges. Following his forced exist from office in 2020, the Office of the Auditor-General is yet to issue any disallowance and persons found to have misappropriated public funds have been left off the hook. “If the Auditor-General persist in ignoring his clear constitutional mandate affirmed by the Supreme Court, our coalition will take the necessary action to ensure that he complies with the Constitution of Ghana”, a statement read on behalf of the coalition stated in part.
The Coalition is worried about the recent publication by the Fourth Estate, in May and June,2022 showing the wanton disregard of the already weak asset declarations regulatory framework under article 286(1) of the constitution and the Public Office Holder(Declarations of Assets and Disqualification) Act 1998(Act 550).
An information as published by the Fourth Estate indicated that some 10,000 public office holders have failed to comply with the asset declarations requirements by law.
In view of that, the coalition demands that the Auditor-General directs all defaulting public officers to comply with the constitutional requirements immediately.
The coalition further welcomes the long overdue inauguration of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Board to deal promptly with a number of legacy cases from Martin Amidu to build and sustain confidence in the office and its work.
The Coalition, termed “Citizens’ Coalition”was unveiled on Monday, July 4,2022 in Accra seeking among other things,the protection of lives and property, is an amalgamation of over 34 active civil society organizations who have had the happenings in the country to the throat and require an immediate response from government and quasar-government institutions.
Addressing the press, a member of the coalition and the Executive Director,West Africa Civil Society Institutions,Nana Asantewa Afadzinu has urged citizens of Ghana to wake up and demand their rights.
According to her, the socio-, economic and governance challenges which include the rapid deterioration of the living conditions occasioned partly by the persistent depreciation of the cedi; leading to a severe weakening of the purchasing power of most working people, and the unprecedented steep rise in the cost of living as food prices continue to soar.
Petroleum products, she intimated are on the rise; affecting the cost of transportation coupled with sky-rocketing rent, a situation demanded a reverse.
“These factors have invariably affected the cost of health care amongst Ghanaians, as well as other necessities coupled with the monster of mass youth unemployment”, she decried the situation.
