Ghanaians have come to accept that corruption and graft have been some of the teething intractable problems that have stalled the progress and development of mother Ghana.
Combating these pandemic viruses have ranked high in the expectations of all people who put Ghana first as the nation’s priority. This is why it influenced heavily the change the electorate sought and had via the 2016 polls.
The people believe that one huge leap in the fight against corruption lies with the strict and rigid application of the necessary laws that leads to speedy prosecution and conviction of the corrupt.
Admittedly, this would have been enough deterrence and a huge plus in the fight against corruption. The savings to the public purse will engender growth in all sectors of the country. The Constitution has entrusted such a sensitive job to the Attorney-General.
Obviously, if there appears any difficulty in the proper execution of her mandate, it has been solely self-inflicted. The Attorney-General’s office requires trust and impartiality to succeed as in any day to day business of justice delivery.
One will surely fall on one’s own sword, when one uses Mahama’s last minute appointees to prosecute lootings of the public purse they played a major role in covering up and may likely be themselves suspected complicity in the other wrongs so perpetrated.
People cite a cover-up as a reason for inaction to deal with looters. They may be right. Unfolding events casts their shadows. Probable cause has given rise to meanings being read into conjectures that the AG is not very keen on lining some people up for prosecution.
Examples of such conjectures abound the world over. In the case of the famous 2G scam in India, for example, CBI’s senior public prosecutor AK Singh was ‘caught on tape’ tutoring Sanjay Chandra, MD of Unitech and one of the main accused in the 2G scam on how to strengthen his defence and weaken CBI’s case against him.
Our dear Gloria Akuffo with the passing of each day has espoused with subtlety what may be suspected to be an innate unwillingness to push forward the agenda to ensure that wrong is punished.
Ghanaians should be disappointed enough. She has created the clear perception that we should snuff-out any expectation of chalking monumental gains in the fight against corruption through prosecution.
Solid credence is further given to this notion based on her assumed disposition of not being ready to make dockets available to the Special Prosecutor for him to prosecute John Mahama’s looter government appointees.
Gloria Akuffo can continue to smile fancifully through the praises from eternal NDC stooges and born double-dealers like Kwesi Pratt, but she should do Ghanaian taxpayer the honour of telling us who or which group she is servicing.
The good President in Akufo-Addo has made his stance on corruption throughout his political life very clear. Gloria, act now to support the cause and disabuse the public perception of inaction or gracefully resign.
By Nana Kofi Nsiah, nknsiah88@yahoo.co.uk
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this write-up do not represent the views of EIB Network
