The Citizens Movement Against Corruption, has called for thorough due diligence to be conducted before persons are appointed as ministers of state.
It suggested that such verification exercise should be carried out by a state institution.
“We think that one needs to do a much more thorough due diligence when appointing such ministers into positions and we probably need a state institution that does that cross checking,” the Movement noted.
Edem Senanu, Co-chair of the Movement’s comments come on the heels of the petition filed by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the Minister of Finance.
The petitioner raised an issue of conflict of interest against the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta which he should be investigated.
Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice(CHRAJ), had indicated that the allegations were that there was conflict of interest in terms of their official duties as public officers and the companies in which they had interest in terms of government bonds.
He explained that the case was going through standard process of assessment in order to ensure it met procedural requirement under the Commission’s regulation, whether it was really within the mandate of it and based on that it would then decide what steps to take next.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority in Parliament made number of allegations against Mr Ofori-Atta for which they are seeking to remove him from office which are conflict of interest ensuring he directly benefits from economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantage.
Others are unconstitutional withdrawals from Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution supposedly for construction of National Cathedral, deliberate, dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament and fiscal recklessness leading to crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently worst performing currency in the world;
The rest are alarming incompetence, frightening ineptitude resulting in collapse of economy, excruciating cost of living crisis, gross mismanagement of economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardships.
However, Mr Ofori-Atta refuted all the allegations when he appeared before the eight-member committee that was investigating him.
