Auditor-General must verify published assets by public office holders – Appiah-Kubi

Andy Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Asante-Akim North constituency, has challenged the office of the Auditor-General to verify the assets published by public officials, stating that a declaration alone cannot solve the issue of corruption within the public sector.

He has also proposed a period between five and 10 years for the Auditor-General to do a “post-office verification” of the assets of public office holders.

This, he said, is because some officials may save some money elsewhere and use it when they exit office.

The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament made the assertions on TV3’s news analysis programme The Key Points on Saturday, April 27.

“I challenge the office of the Auditor-General to go and verify, the declaration alone is not enough. When you declare there must be a verification to confirm whether what you are saying is true.

“There are people who also over-declare in the hope that they will the gap, so we need to investigate that one also so that I don’t tell you in the declaration that I have a mansion of 10 living rooms and work towards it while in office,” he noted.

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• It’s good to publish assets – Appiah-Kubi tells public office holders

Moreover, Andy Appiah-Kubi advised public officeholders to publish their assets to avoid being accused of amassing wealth while in office.

He said it is a good sign for public officials to publish their assets.

“It is good for us, Members of Parliament, and everybody. I think it is good for you to publish so that you will not be accused wrongly,” he told Alfred Ocansey.

The Asante-Akim North lawmaker revealed that he always declares his assets because there is nothing to hide.

Also, he noted that most of his assets, as he declared back in 2017, have remained the same, stating, “So it is a repetition of what I did in 2017.”

He added, “Trust me, what I started in 2007 it is still uncompleted so every year it will come but it is still, as we speak, uncompleted so that will even take the responsibility off our heads to prove any addition because there is no addition.”

Asset declaration and corruption fight?

Corruption in Ghana involves the public sector and private people alike.

For this reason, since the 1970s, Ghana has adopted a declaration of assets and liabilities by public office holders as the “more potent tool, among other strategies, in fighting corruption in the public sector.”

Moreover, two main laws have regulated asset declaration–Article 286(1) of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550).

Act 550 provides the framework and guidelines for asset declaration in Ghana as a tool to “combat corruption among public office holders.”

The asset declaration process involves the public official declaring his or her assets, income, and liabilities on assumption of office.

The process is repeated every four years and also upon ending the term of office.