Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Board Chairperson of the Office of the Special Prosecutor
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) focusing on the fight against corruption are demanding more radical measures from the government in the fight against corruption because the fight against corruption has stalled in the last decade.
The nation has been known to have consistently high perceptions of corruption and has stagnated in the fight against corruption for the last 10 years, in terms of outcomes.
The CSOs made their demands known in a petition to the President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice.
“Several indices support the perspective and Transparency International 2017 Corruption Perception Index shows between 2008 and 2017, Ghana has never attained a score of 50, and our record over the ten years demonstrate a failure to sustain gains made in certain years.
“These high perceptions of corruption amongst public officials and informal leaders are informed by the day to day experiences of the citizenry and confirmed by several studies conducted by the Ghana Integrity Initiative Consortium.
“These perceptions are also fueled by high opacity in handling of corruption cases by state institutions making it difficult for the citizenry to know the steps taken by the government to address high perceptions of corruption among public officials and informal leaders.
“The recent adoption of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (2015-2024) and establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor were steps in the right direction and urge the government to continue investing substantially in those interventions and intensify their implementation.”
“We must also demonstrate there is personal price to pay for corruption by speeding up the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases as well as asset recovery of proceeds of corruption, the country needs to be radical in our efforts to achieve results in a short-term to deliver a big blow against corruption.
“We propose a one-year strategy to give the citizenry visible evidence of reduction in incidence of corruption in provision of administrative services, it should be done in three steps by government working together with CSOs in anti-corruption space and media since corruption impedes our development aspirations and we must be in hurry to eradicate it to meet our Sustainable Development Goals if we fail to act decisively,” the petitioners warned. –citinewsroom.com
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