IDEG advises against creating more anti-graft institutions

The Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) has urged the government to avoid establishing new anti-corruption institutions.

The government should instead focus on strengthening existing ones like the Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO), Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for more effective operation.

Dr. Kwesi Jonah, Senior Research Fellow at IDEG, shared this view in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), outlining IDEG’s expectations for the Mahama administration in tackling corruption.

“The most important thing is that the few institutions that we have on the ground, let us fund them, let us give them the independence to be able to deliver. Let us not go about creating more institutions that will not be properly funded, that will be interfered with.

“Let us make sure that the few institutions; whether it is CHRAJ; whether it is EOCO or whatever, now work more efficiently and have resources at their disposal to do the work that we have mandated them to do.

“Let us not create anymore anti-corruption institutions,” Dr. Jonah said.

Dr. Jonah cited the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) as an example, explaining that despite being operational for the past eight years, the office had not achieved significant results due to neglect from the government.

“The OSP was set up eight years ago, and quite frankly if you ask me what they achieved within this period, I will say very little.”

He urged the new government to prioritize strengthening the existing institutions and ensure they function effectively, rather than establishing new anti-corruption bodies.

Dr. Jonah, also the Head of Advocacy and Civil Society Organizations at IDEG, cautioned the government against interfering with the operations of anti-corruption institutions, noting that such interference contributed to their underperformance.

He stated that a commission like the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) would not be effective if subjected to political interference, advising the heads and staff of anti-graft institutions to remain firm in their decisions.

 “We should stop political interference in corruption related institutions. The government has started very well; He has set up ORAL and so on and so forth but as soon as it is realized that some big government official is related to somebody, that is the end of the matter.

“They should not look at political consideration even if the person is somebody who funded the campaign of the party. So no political interference whatsoever; that is what has weakened many of the corruption institutions in the past,” Dr. Jonah said.

Source: GNA

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