A New Patriotic Party (NPP) government will establish an office of Special Prosecutor, within the first six months of administration, flagbearer of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said.
According to him, the office, to be established by an act of parliament, will be independent of the Executive, and possess “an exclusive remit to investigate and prosecute certain categories of cases and allegations of corruption, including those involving alleged violations of the Public Procurement Act and cases implicating political office holders and politicians”.
Prosecutions of such persons, he stressed, “will no longer be tainted by perceptions of witch-hunting and selective justice”.
The NPP flag bearer made this known on Monday, 22 August 2016, as he addressed the 16th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Abetifi-Kwahu in the Eastern Region.
Announcing a raft of measures to deal with “the toxic issue of corruption”, Nana Akufo-Addo, who was Special Guest at the programme, explained that a successful Ghana can only be built on the basis of good governance, underpinned by efficient and honest public services.
In order to restore Ghana’s reputation, which according to him has become a byword for corruption, the three-time flag bearer said firstly, he, together with his team, would give the requisite leadership that is currently lacking under President John Mahama.
“Public service is for me exactly that – public service. Anyone who joins my team to make money out of public office will not be welcome. Money is made in the private sector, not in public office. I will be strict in my supervision of this principle,” he assured the audience.
Secondly, Nana Akufo-Addo stressed that his government would be scrupulous in enforcing the teachings of the Public Procurement Act (Act 663), which confine sole sourcing of public contracts to exceptional circumstances.
“Inflated contracts, which are currently the bane of our public finances, will be things of the past. Competitive bidding is the best protection of value for money in our public transactions, and will be the consistent mechanism for undertaking such transactions. The era of sole sourcing will come to an end,” he said.
The NPP flag bearer further added that an efficient and honest reordering and prioritisation of the country’s public expenditure “will enable us to devote more resources to enhance the capacity of our anti-corruption agencies. It is essential that they have the means to lead the fight against corruption”.
He continued: “We will support all moves to give parliament greater oversight capability over the activities of the Executive. This will give true meaning to the principles of separation of powers and accountable governance.”
Nana Akufo-Addo, therefore, appealed to the Presbyterian Church to give critical support to a future NPP government once it undertakes those “crucial steps”. “Our very future depends on their success,” he added.
With just over three months to the 7 December elections, he requested prayers for the peace of the nation so that the country emerges from the elections as a more united nation.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
