Former Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo has criticised the role of influence peddling in exacerbating corruption in Ghana.
According to him, the rate at which people in authority abuse their power contributes to the rise in the canker.
In an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, August 9, 2024, Mr Domelevo was worried by how the unchecked influence wielded by those in positions of power often leads to unethical practices and the misappropriation of resources.
“Influence peddling brings about a lot of corrupt activities. It brings about people not doing what is expected of them, and then we activate this mechanism… where people are called to intervene. At times you are in office and you are told a group of chiefs and elders have come to look for you.
“They come and they tell you that we heard that you are going to surcharge this person, he is one of our people. He is the eye of our place, if you hold him accountable it will be a disincentive for our young ones.”
This, he argues, undermines public trust and hampers efforts to combat corruption effectively.
“Because of that, at the end of the day there is a huge element of corruption,” he added.
His comments come amid growing concerns over transparency and accountability within both government.
The former Auditor General added that Parliament must take action to ensure that there are laws preventing conflict of interest.