The founding president of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has announced a new anti corruption initiative aimed at exposing the wealth accumulation patterns of senior Ghanaian politicians through the use of the Right to Information law.
The initiative, which he described as a long term accountability campaign, seeks to challenge the longstanding practice of keeping asset declarations of public officials sealed from public scrutiny.
“This morning, I instructed IMANI’s analysts and legal advisors to launch a new campaign using Right to Information requests to track the wealth accumulation of senior politicians through longitudinal analysis”.
Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe
The campaign, dubbed “Opening the Envelope,” is intended to test the legality of the sealed envelope system that has governed asset declarations in Ghana for decades.
Under Article 286 of the Constitution, public office holders are required to declare their assets upon assuming office, periodically during their tenure, and when leaving office.
However, the declarations are submitted to the Auditor General’s Department in sealed envelopes that are rarely opened or subjected to public scrutiny. Mr Cudjoe argued that the sealed envelope tradition undermines the constitutional objective of promoting transparency and accountability in public office.
“For thirty years, Ghana’s asset declarations have been filed in sealed envelopes. In that form, they might as well not exist,” he stated. According to him, neither the Constitution nor the relevant legislation explicitly requires the declarations to remain confidential.
“The Constitution commands public office holders to declare assets but it says nothing about confidentiality,” he explained, adding that the Public Office Holders Act 1998 (Act 550) also contains no clear provision mandating secrecy.
The IMANI Centre for Policy and Education Chief Executive Officer described the sealed envelope system as a bureaucratic tradition that has persisted largely because it has never been legally challenged.
Right to Information Law as Legal Basis
The IMANI campaign is anchored on Ghana’s Right to Information Act 2019 (Act 989), which presumes that public information should be accessible unless there are compelling legal grounds for withholding it.
According to Mr. Cudjoe, arguments that asset declarations should remain private are weak under the framework of the Right to Information Law.
“With the passage of the RTI Act, this secrecy is now legally indefensible. When people assume public office, they accept reduced privacy regarding their financial interests.”
Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe
He also pointed out that the law does not allow authorities to withhold factual or statistical data when such information relates to public accountability.
The campaign therefore seeks to use the RTI law to compel disclosure of asset declaration records and create legal clarity on whether the sealed envelope practice can continue.
Test Cases to Begin Legal Challenge
To initiate the campaign, IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has selected two individuals whose cases will serve as the first test applications in the process.
One of them is former sanitation minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, whose financial affairs attracted national attention in 2023 following reports that large sums of cash were discovered at her residence.
“Her case involving substantial cash discovered at her residence entered the public domain. The public is entitled to know if her declared assets match her accumulated wealth”.
Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe
The second test case involves Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, a former deputy minister and diplomat who was recently elected as a member of parliament for Ayawaso East Constituency.
Mr Cudjoe explained that examining asset declarations across different stages of Mr Jamal’s public career could help demonstrate how the system should function in tracking wealth accumulation over time. “His case highlights the need to see what was declared at entry, mid term, and exit to track material changes over time,” he stated.
He stressed that the initiative is not intended to target individuals unfairly but rather to establish a legal precedent that will apply to all public officials. “This is not harassment. We just want a legal ruling to open the door for all Ghanaians to hold their leaders accountable,” he added.
Strategy for Legal and Institutional Reform
The IMANI campaign will follow a staged legal strategy designed to escalate the issue through the appropriate accountability institutions.
The first step will involve submitting formal Right to Information requests to the Auditor General. If the requests are denied, the organization intends to pursue an internal review and subsequently appeal the decision to the Right to Information Commission.
Should the matter remain unresolved, the final stage will involve judicial review and a constitutional challenge in the courts. Mr. Cudjoe indicated that the campaign will also highlight the issue within Ghana’s ongoing engagement with international financial institutions.
He noted that Ghana’s reform commitments under its programme with the International Monetary Fund include measures aimed at strengthening accountability and transparency in public governance.
Beyond Legal Victory
For IMANI, however, winning a court ruling is only the first step toward broader reforms in Ghana’s asset declaration system. Mr Cudjoe said the organization is advocating for the creation of a publicly accessible register where asset declarations of public officials can be examined by citizens.
Other reforms being proposed include the introduction of verification mechanisms that cross check declared assets against financial records and the adoption of annual filing requirements instead of the current four year cycle.
The group also wants automatic sanctions introduced for officials who fail to comply with asset declaration rules. Mr Cudjoe acknowledged that the process could become a prolonged legal and political battle but insisted that greater transparency is essential for strengthening democratic accountability.
“This is a drawn-out fight, but IMANI is ready,” he said, inviting lawyers, researchers and public interest advocates to support the campaign.
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