The United Kingdom’s (UK) High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Claire Thompson, has declared that UK will not be a safe haven for the monies that people acquire through corrupt means.
As essential to the battle against corruption, she stated that the UK government is undertaking efforts to combat money-laundering and other illegal financial transactions from making way into her country. As a result, she cautioned that the UK crime agencies would hunt anyone who is found culpable of such acts.
“So, the work that we are doing around illicit financial flows and to counter money-laundering is really important in that regard. The UK does not want to be a destination for corrupt money. And so, it is important for people in Ghana, people across the world to know that if they try to hide their ill-gotten gains in the UK, UK’s crime agencies will be looking for them.”
Harriet Claire Thompson
The British High Commissioner noted that even though the ongoing digitisation agenda by the Ghana government is laudable in its attempts to curb low-level corruption, it is equally paramount for Ghanaians to know that no one is above prosecution at the high level.
Digitization to reduce corruption
Speaking at her first interview since she arrived in Ghana in June this year, Her Excellency Harriet Thompson explained how through digitisation, human-to-human contact has been reduced in more government financial transactions. She further clarified that since most of government’s transactions have been moved online, the chances of corruption at the lower levels would decrease correspondingly.
“And areas that I will draw would be the government’s digitization agenda here in reducing the human-to-human contacts, and moving more government services online and then reducing the opportunities for corruption at low levels in the system. At the high levels, it is so important for people to see that nobody is immune to prosecution. If people steal money, they will be prosecuted for stealing money.”
Harriet Claire Thompson
When asked whether she will expose any person reported to be involved in money-laundering, Ms. Harriet Thompson indicated that she will not hesitate to call them out because people need to know the truth.
“Yeah, where the evidence is clear then people need to know what’s happening. I would put a note of caution out there.”
Harriet Claire Thompson
President committed to fight corruption
A month ago, the President of Ghana, Nana Akuffo-Addo, expressed his commitments towards the battle against corruption.
He explained that his government’s commitment is demonstrated in the logistical and financial support provided for state anti-corruption agencies.
According to the President, since 2017, his government has raised the quantity of resources that are allocated to Parliament, the Judiciary, Police, EOCO and CHRAJ, among others.
Also, President Akuffo-Addo noted that the yearly increase in budgetary allocations for the anti-corruption bodies are comprehensible evidence of his administration’s commitment to combat corruption.
Per the President’s clarification, the fight against corruption would have been unsuccessful without his investments into these anti-corruption agencies.
“If the institutions of the republic that are meant to take the struggle are not capable to do so, all talks about fighting corruption remain meaningless.”
President Akuffo-Addo
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