Former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo says Ghana’s image of corruption could improve if the country continues to avoid major, headline-grabbing scandals under the current administration.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, he said public perception, not proof, often shapes Ghana’s score on the Corruption Perception Index, and the relative silence on scandals over the past year could influence the outcome.
“I don’t know what results we are going to get,” Domelevo said. “My hope and expectation is that it should improve, in the sense that at least we have gone almost a year or a year into this new administration, not heard of scandals as they were in the past.”
Ghana has struggled on the index in recent years, weighed down by repeated corruption allegations and slow prosecutions that damaged public trust.
“So I’m not saying they are not happening, but I’m saying we have not heard of them,” he said.
“So that may drive people’s perception, and if that is the case, I will not be surprised that the index will show a positive result or show some improvement.”
Mr Domelevo warned, however, that silence alone is not enough and that delayed reforms have blunted more substantial gains.
“I wish that the low-hanging fruit that I talked about,” he said, pointing to laws that could have sent a clear signal of seriousness.
He said unexplained wealth legislation remains critical.
“That is, if we had passed a law by now to say that once we can establish beyond reasonable doubt that a public servant is owing or in possession of an asset which does not correspond with his or her earnings from the public service, until you can prove to us that there are other means of getting those assets you are guilty of it,” he said.
Daniel Domelevo noted that key accountability laws have stalled for years, stating, “Asset declaration law has been on the table before I became Auditor General, and it is still there,” he said.
“We have the what they call conduct of public officer holders, Bill, which addresses a lot of this corruption and corruption-related issues,” he added.
He said the credibility of the anti-corruption fight also depends on the speed of the courts.
“If we pass those laws and bring finality to the trial of cases, we don’t allow it to stand for too long,” he said.
Mr Domelevo described court delays as demoralising and damaging to public confidence.
“The courtroom should not be used for three or four hours a day, and it is closed, and we go home and come back the next day,” he said.
“If you have been going to court like I was in the past, at times you go to court for less than 15 or 10 minutes, the case is adjourned,” he said, adding that citizens often feel their time is wasted.
“At times, the judge doesn’t even do anything. Just call the two lawyers, and before you realise, the case has been adjourned,” he said.
He warned that without faster trials, public trust will continue to erode.
“So if we can change all those things, and we know that, be it a galamsey or a corruption-related case within six months, you will have known your faith,” Domelevo said.
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