Former Auditor General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has once again spoken about corruption among public officials, stressing that the issue goes beyond suspicion to well-documented evidence of theft.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, February 18, he didn’t hold back on the widespread misappropriation of public funds by officeholders.
“We are not suspicious of them (public officials), but they have proven time and again that they have been stealing the public funds. That’s the part—the evidence abounds,” vociferous Domelevo said.
“Look at the Auditor General’s report. You see that people holding public funds have always been misappropriating or using the money for their benefits.”
He pointed out that the pattern of wealth accumulation among public officials is alarming, especially considering their official earnings.
“Many of them have been in office for just four years, a maximum of eight years, but see how filthy rich they are. They are terribly rich. And if you look at their salaries—I used to tell some of the MPs that as Auditor General, my salary is bigger than yours, but you seem to be 100 times richer than me. How did you make it?” he quizzed.
“The truth on the ground—not suspicion—is that they have been stealing public funds. That is why we want to know how much you had before coming into office and how much you had on your exit. I’m not saying all of them, but some clearly have been abusing their office.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Domelevo recounted several challenges in enforcing asset declaration laws.
“Yes, I did have some interesting encounters with the enforcement of the law,” he noted.
“In fact, when we started, it was clear that even the judiciary—which we thought should be at the forefront of law enforcement—didn’t declare. Including the former Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah and several High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court judges, they were all not declaring.”
Daniel Domelevo expressed frustration at the lack of consequences for such non-compliance, especially from institutions tasked with upholding the law.
“When people complained or petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), I was completely disappointed when the Commission just said that, well, there are no punishments prescribed in any law for them. Or that Act (1998) 550 does not prescribe any punishment. So, go and sin no more,” he recounted.
He questioned the inconsistency in the application of constitutional requirements.
“I thought that if the Constitution says you should do something before you can enter office, and you didn’t do that before coming to office, you are occupying the office unconstitutionally,” Domelevo stressed.
“For instance, could President Mahama just wake up on January 7, 2025, and say that he’s been voted for as president, so he’s going to start without being sworn in? No, it cannot happen.
“But how come we religiously comply with those requirements—including swearing in ministers—but when it comes to asset declaration, which the same Constitution demands before assuming office, people ignore it?” he asked.
