Anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem has commended President John Dramani Mahama for his decisive action against appointees who failed to declare their assets, but says the move must be followed by full transparency and accountability.
In an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Monday May 5, Azeem described the President's decision to sanction defaulters as commendable, but insisted it will only have real impact if names and penalties are made public. "So if today the president is saying this, it is a good initiative," he said. "But we are still yet to see the actual action taken against those that have defaulted. "The names of the people must be published.
The sanctions imposed on them must be published so that we know that he is actually determined to ensure that people will abide by the laws of the country," Azeem added.
The anti-corruption campaigner said the Asset Declaration Act, in place since 1998, has largely been ignored, with little to no consequences for those who fail to comply. "I think it is a very important decision that the president has taken because this law, the assets declaration Act has been in existence since 1998 and we don't seem to be doing anything about it," he said. "Even the Auditor-General doesn't publish names of people who have either declared or not declared, and for those who have not declared, no action has been taken against them." The directive was made public during the launch of a new Code of Conduct for Public Servants in Accra on Monday, May 5.
