The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the investigation being conducted by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) into the Auditor- General, Daniel Domelovo is a grand scheme by the government to oust him from office.
According to the party, the government was allegedly using EOCO to tie the hands of the Audit Service Board and leave them with no option than to ask the Auditor-General to step aside pending investigations.
At a press conference in Accra yesterday, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
NDC General Secretary hinted that in line with the plot, the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), a pro government group would petition the President in the coming days for the removal of the Auditor-General.
“What is being presented as a routine investigation into allegations of wrongdoing is, in fact, an attempt to gag the Auditor-General and subsequently remove him from office because of his uncompromising stance in the fight against corruption.
”Put more accurately, this EOCO investigation is designed as retribution against Mr Domelovo because he has been on the tail of Yaw Osafo-Maafo over the latter’s involvement in the massive corruption scandal under which $ 1 million was paid to Kroll Associates, a UK company for no work done”, he said.
A private citizen petitioned EOCO, claiming, among others, that the Audit Service had breached the Procurement Law, Act 663, in the procurement of vehicles worth almost GH¢6.2 million following which Mr Domelevo was invited by EOCO, his statement taken and was cautioned and granted bail by for further probe.
However, the Auditor-General on November 18, 2019, wrote to EOCO to stop probing him and his outfit, with the argument that the investigative body had no power to do so and consequently, demanded an unqualified apology.
He followed it up with a suit on November 20, 2019 at the Accra High Court to challenge EOCO’s legal mandate to investigate alleged procurement breaches against him or any public official or public institution.
According Mr Nketsiah, the Auditor-General was innocent in keeping with “his principled stance and pragmatism in his approach to work. Having entered the seat of government to expose corruption, he is being met with stiff resistance and machinations.”
He said if President Akufo-Addo was truthful and principled, he would order further investigations into the Kroll corruption scandal following which prosecutions would commence against the Senior Minister.
BY TIMES REPORTER
