Lawyer and Lecturer at the Ghana School of Law, Makola, Bobby Banson, has argued that tackling corruption in the country cannot be effective if the focus remains solely on politically exposed persons.
Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, Mr Banson stressed the need for a comprehensive, system-wide approach to fighting corruption.
He explained that the nation must agree on a clear and consistent procedure, grounded in existing legislation or new laws, to ensure that anti-corruption efforts are effective and sustainable.
According to him, “the question of how to solve, uproot or minimise corruption cannot be answered when we limit it to politically exposed persons and we try and make them examples, for lack of a better word, of how to solve corruption.”
“I think that as a country, we should agree on a systematic procedure, a mechanism in compliance with existing laws or laws that will be passed so that we can address the issues at the root of it,” he added.
Mr Banson’s remarks come amid renewed public debate on the increasing cases of alleged corruption involving public officials and institutions.
On Thursday, October 17, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, provided an update on the National Service Authority scandal, revealing that financial irregularities in the case have ballooned to GH¢2.2 billion, a sharp rise from the little over GH¢5 million he disclosed earlier this year.
Dr Ayine also disclosed that the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company allegedly siphoned state funds amounting to GH¢40 million.
He further noted that equipment procured under the District Road Improvement Programme was overpaid for, with payments to J.A. Plant Pool exceeding the agreed amount by $2 million.
“For me, when I listen to the Attorney General in these press conferences, it embodies my advocacy that perhaps it is time for us to actually decouple the office of the Attorney General from the Minister of Justice,” Mr Banson said.
He believes that once this is done, the fight against corruption can be pursued more effectively and comprehensively.
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