The Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah-Asiedu has called for stricter verification of asset declarations by public officials, questioning how authorities can confirm the accuracy of the information submitted.
Speaking after receiving President John Mahama’s asset declaration forms on Tuesday, February 17, he raised concerns about whether officials fully disclose their financial and property holdings.
He noted that while they list their assets, there is no way to verify whether all have been declared.
“If you say you have ten bank accounts and you bring it to us, how are we to be sure that indeed it is only ten bank accounts that you have?” he asked. “If you say you have two buildings, what can we do to ensure that it is exactly the two buildings that you have?”
The Auditor-General explained that his office only checks whether forms are completed properly, ensuring that officials do not leave blank spaces or fail to include bank balances.
Some, he revealed, list their banks but do not indicate the balances, requiring the Audit Service to contact them for corrections.
“We will open it to see exactly what entries you have made,” he stated. “What we are looking at is whether you have not left any blank spaces, whether you have not left your bank balances.”
Mr Akuamoah-Asiedu also backed calls for asset declarations to be made public, arguing that it would increase transparency and allow the public to track changes in officials’ wealth over time.
“If you submit your assets and declaration forms, we should be able to publish it freely,” he said. “And the time that you are leaving office, too, we will publish it to see the changes that have happened ever since you started in office.”
His comments followed President Mahama’s public submission of his asset declaration forms, a move he described as a step toward greater openness in governance.
The President urged all public office holders to comply with the law and warned that any appointee who fails to declare their assets by March 31, 2025, would face “severe sanctions, not excluding removal from office.”
President Mahama also called for constitutional reforms to strengthen the asset declaration process, proposing that declarations be made public both before and after an official’s tenure.
The Auditor-General welcomed the proposal, stating that his office would support efforts to improve verification and transparency in asset declarations.
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