Anti-corruption advocate Vitus Azeem has welcomed President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to sanction appointees who failed to declare their assets by the March 31 deadline, but called for more transparency in the process.
Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Monday, May 5, Azeem praised the move as long overdue, noting that Ghana’s Asset Declaration Act, which has existed since 1998, has not been effectively enforced.
“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,” Azeem said.
He criticised past inaction by the Auditor-General, who he said has failed to publish the names of individuals who have or have not complied with the law.
“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.”
While supporting Mahama’s sanctions—requiring defaulters to forfeit three months’ salary and donate it to the MahamaCares Fund — Azeem urged the President to go further by publicly naming those in breach of the law.
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Mahama has issued a firm warning that appointees who fail to declare their assets by May 7 will be automatically dismissed.
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