Stealing is a competition in the various government offices – Ivan Kyei Innocent
Corruption and stealing of public resources is now a competition among staff at the various government offices, agencies and departments, according to Social Commentator Ivan Kyei Innocent.
According to the outspoken activist who was speaking on the Active Morning Show on Time With Ivan Kyei Innocent, hosted by Agyenim Boateng Adjaye on Thursday, September 8, 2022, Mr Innocent Kyei decried the lack of effort in tackling the ills of society that have impoverished many in the past and still doing.
He said it is not the matter of establishing more institutions or clothing more people with prosecutorial powers, “if the state is not committed and willing to lift a finger to prosecute individuals, it will be a waste. Over the years we had only the AG’s[Auditor General] department that was dealing with corruption and prosecution and now the Special Prosecutor has been added, cases of corruption keeps increasing”.
Buttressing on the point that it is not about prosecuting but doing what is necessary, he said “The Auditor General has powers, the powers to surcharge. That power is there …..to me, it is not always about prosecution. The power to surcharge to retrieve the money is crucial because where we are we need money. Monies are going down the drain. People will steal billions of Cedis so if you jail him and he goes to prison for five years and returns he will still keep his money. So the power to surcharge is very important”.
He said the former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo used that power and even surcharged the then Senior Minister Yaw Osarfo Marfo which later culminated in the forced dismissal of Domelevo from office but the current Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu just prepares a report and come and drop it without saying anything or surcharging anybody to retrieve the money.
“So if the state is committed I think it is about time the AG will say these are the individuals I have indicted, let us take an action so that going forward the subsequent Auditor’s report that will come will not carry the same things as these. But the discussion is only done in the media,” he stated.
Mr Innocent Kyei added that because previous reports captured individuals and those persons have been let off, others are motivated to do similar thing adding that “if you are at the lower department and you see that the presidency there is stealing, ministry there is stealing, all the top hierarchy everyone is stealing including judges then you that you are at the district what will you do? You only take inspiration that if the top they are stealing then what will you do? That is why you see people at the local assemblies perfecting the act of stealing because at the top they are only taking inspiration from the top. Because at the end nothing happens”.
“So if you don’t steal then you are worrying yourself because stealing is like a competition among people in various positions because everyone is stealing…..so the only way out is for us to make corruption an unattractive venture for people,” he noted.
