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Support govt to fight corruption canker – Deputy Attorney General

The Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Alfred Tuah-Yeboah,
said the fight against corruption is a shared responsibility and therefore called on Ghanaians to collaborate with government in fighting the canker. That, he said, could be done by volunteering information on suspecting public officials who steal
state funds to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for arrest and prosecution. Mr Tuah-Yebaoh made the call in Accra yesterday at the 20th Anniversary forum Of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) held on the theme:
“Building partnerships in the fight against corruption”. He said although people have genuine evidence against alleged corrupt public officials, they fail to provide such information to the appropriate authorities for necessary action, a situation which he said frustrates the work of the Attorney General’s Office.

“When it comes to prosecution of cases, we need evidence and not perception. We therefore urge those with genuine evidence against officials who have misappropriated state funds to come forward and share with us. Our major challenge is availability of evidence. The fight against corruption is a shared responsibility and we need such public collaboration in fighting the canker”, he said. The Deputy Attorney-General said the Ministry and its affiliate agencies mandated to fight corruption would not be able to prosecute corrupt officials without the help of the public.

Mr Tuah-Yeboah said the corruption was an affront to development including the right to quality education, health care delivery, good roads and afford
able housing. The Executive Secretary of GACC, Mrs Beauty Narteh, said the Coalition has over the years carried out various activities such as research, corruption monitoring and citizen’s capacity building on Anti-Corruption issues at the local, national and sub regional levels to advocate for change. She said the Coalition has gained recognition and credibility, as well as legitimacy among the public, private, and civil society organisations in the country and beyond. The Coalition, Mrs Narteh noted, had made concerted approach in the fight against corruption, particularly at the local level which resulted in the creation of Local Accountability Network (LANet) in 34 administrative districts across the country. She added that GACC has also contributed to the passage and implementation of critical Ghana Anti-Corruption legislations such as the Right to Information Act of 2019 (Act 989), Witness Protection Act of 2018 (Act 975), Public Financial Management Regulations of 2019 (L.I 2378) and the whistleblowers Act of 2006 (Act 720) .

BY BERNARD BENGHAN & CONNIELOVE DZODZEGBE

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