Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, is the latest National Democratic Congress (NDC) member who has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to crack the whip on alleged corrupt officials of his party, Today can report.
It would be recalled that in the early days of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) government, some youth of the opposition NDC made a similar appeal to President Akufo-Addo not to spare any appointee of former President John Dramani Mahama, particularly the former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr. Stephen Opuni, whom they alleged misappropriated state funds.
After the former CEO of COCOBOD, the next person whose name has been mentioned for prosecution is the former Transport Minister, Mrs. Dzifa Aku Attivor.
According to NDC Eastern Regional Chairman, Bismark Tawiah Boateng, who called for the prosecution of the former transport minister, he could not understand why the Akufo-Addo’s government was allowing Mrs. Attivor to walk freely when she has a case to answer in the infamous bus branding saga that sparked heated political debate in the country.
It, therefore, did not come as a surprise to many listeners of Citi FM when the Tamale Central MP who was also a minister of lands and forestry in the erstwhile Mahama administration on Friday, August 18, 2017 on the station declared his support for the prosecution of officials suspected to have committed corrupt acts while serving in the previous administration.
Mr. Fuseini’s call came a day after deputy Attorney General, Joseph Kpemeka, had indicated that officials suspected of corrupt acts in the previous administration would soon be put before court.
“Some of these persons who have been daring us on TV or radio have questions to answer in court,” Mr. Kpemka was reported to have said.
But, reacting to the deputy attorney general’s comment on Eye Witness on Citi FM, Mr. Fuseini, who sounded unperturbed, said: “If you were in public office and you misconduct yourself which bordered on corruption or any other matter, you should be prepared to answer for it.
If they [NPP government] come to the conclusion that the person is found culpable then that person must pay a prize for it.”
He was, however, quick to remind the NPP government to abide by the laws in prosecuting these officials.
“The legal ethics, particularly binding on lawyers of the court, require that when they are preparing their cases for court, they go to court before they speak so I am just saying that the ethics of the profession requires that you go to court, prosecute the persons you feel are corrupt…They [the corrupt officials] also have the opportunity because the constitution guarantees them some rights.
The sanction regime is defined by law and so whatever sanctions should be imposed, will be imposed by law,” he said.
Mr. Inusah indicated that Mr. Kpemka’s threats to prosecute corrupt NDC officials did not come as a surprise to him since other appointees had earlier indicated that they were preparing dockets for the prosecution of former government officials who misconducted themselves.
The Mahama administration was rocked with a number of corruption cases including the GHC3.2 million bus branding, GYEEDA and the Subah scandals.
The then opposition NPP promised the creation of the Special Prosecutor Office which would deal with the various corruption cases.
Government is expected to begin the prosecution of corrupt officials in the Mahama administration in October.
Mr. Kpemka, who made this revelation on the Point Blank segment of Eyewitness News o Citi FM last week Thursday said: “…By October when we start moving to court with some of the cases, Ghanaians will know that we are serious and we are ready to fight corruption as a canker in this country and uproot it once and for all”.
Mahama appointee urges government to prosecute corrupt NDC officials
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