About 435 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have described the President’s decision to ask the Auditor-General to proceed on a leave as improper and a dent in the independence of the work of the audit service.
They are therefore urging the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reconsider the decision.
Dr Kojo Asante, the Director for Advocacy and Policy at the Center for Democratic Development, one of the CSOs who have expressed their regret about the situation said President Akufo-Addo’s decision is unlawful and may set a bad example.
To them, this will mar the relationship between the Executive and independent institutions such as the Office of the Auditor-General.
“Independent governance institutions have a special place in the architecture of our governance system particularly when it comes to horizontal accountability and once the president is making a decision where we feel that it opens up the Pandora box with respect of these independent governance institutions, we feel it is really important for us to step in and draw the President’s attention to the problems he is creating by making this decision,” he said.
Dr. Asante in justifying the position of the CSOs said on Eyewitness News on Tuesday that the decision of President Akufo-Addo did not have legal basis because they believe that leave cannot be accumulated.
“The President erred on the issue of accumulated leave… Accumulated leave, from everything that we have gathered, there is no [legal] grounding for that.”
He noted that President Akufo-Addo could have opted for directing the Auditor-General to take some of his 2020 leave especially if he recognizes the importance of the office.
He said the CSOs are hopeful that President Akufo-Addo will reconsider his decision.
“If the President is minded to consider our position, that will be good.”
Support call
Mr. Asante at an earlier press conference called on the public to join the call on the President to reverse his decision on Mr. Domelevo.
“We as citizens have to fight for public officers like Mr. Domelevo not because they are saints, not because they are infallible, but because they show us that the governance and society we dream to have is possible,” he said.
Proceed on leave directive
President Akufo-Addo last week directed the Auditor General to proceed on a 167-day accumulated leave.
The president said Mr. Domelevo had only taken a few days off work since he assumed office in December 2016.
Following a letter to challenge the basis for the directive by Mr. Domelevo, the president said announced a 44-day extension of the leave days in accordance with sections 20 (1) and 31 of the Labour Act, 2003 (651).
