Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed his revulsion at the level of corruption going on in the country. He thus, called for the scrapping of the NPP administration while also chastising the recent comments made by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, suggesting that another leader from the NPP will come and take the country out of the current hardship in the country.
The National Chairman of the NDC, meanwhile, stated emphatically that the government led by President Akufo-Addo cannot be reformed in anyway and should instead be scrapped at the least given opportunity.
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito, cited the government’s lack of commitment to fight corruption as a major reason for his stance.
The Chairman also commented on the high court ruling which ordered the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) to return the seized money of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah. Consequently, Mr. Nketia, expressed his skepticism about the government’s commitment to fighting corruption.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah stated that he believed from the beginning that the case involving Cecilia Dapaah would not lead to any substantial outcome. Mr. Nketiah indicated that he had predicted from the outset that it would not lead to any significant outcome.
“This government cannot be reformed; it must be scrapped. Any attempt at reform, like their stated intentions to introduce transparency and fight corruption, is futile because how can corrupt individuals effectively combat corruption? It won’t happen.”
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
General Mosquito moreover, criticized the government, stating that when scandals occur, the government’s primary concern is how to manage public opinion rather than addressing the underlying issues.
Asiedu Nketiah suggested that both the government and the Office of Special Prosecutor are engaged in a charade, playing on the public’s expectations when they attempted to investigate the matter.
According to Mr Nketiah, what is happening in Ghana currently can best be described as “state capture,” in politics. He explained that, a group of people have captured the state and are using the state to achieve private aims.
“So, once it happens like that, you compromise all the state institutions, all the institutions of good governance are compromised. So, instead of having rule of law, we have rule by law; Where somebody else is supreme and he is using the law to achieve his private aims, and that’s what we’re seeing in Ghana now and it is not going to be possible for the system to be reformed.”
Asiedu Nketiah
It could be recalled that the court has issued an order on August 31, 2023 giving the OSP seven days to return the funds and revoke its earlier decision to freeze both Dollar and Cedi accounts of Cecilia Dapaah.
OSP Initiates Investigation into Madam Dapaah
The OSP has initiated an investigation into Madam Dapaah over allegations of corruption and related offenses, primarily concerning the revelation that she had more than $1 million in her possession at her residence, leading to the freezing of her accounts as part of the investigation.
However, in response to concerns raised in the court decision, the Office of the Special Prosecutor also said the seizures were not based on public sentiment.
“Further, the freezing order was effected to aid the investigation, as required by law, not on the basis of the investigation, as indicated by the Court. Therefore, it cannot be said that the OSP did not carry out proper investigations to warrant the freezing order.”
Office of the Special Prosecutor
Dapaah is under public scrutiny after she lost sums of $1 million, €300,000 and an undisclosed amount of Ghana cedis said to have been stolen by her house helps. The scandal eventually led to the resignation of the then-minister from her sanitation ministry portfolio.
Before being granted bail, Dapaah spent the day being questioned by the Special Prosecutor after reports that she had millions in cash stolen from her home.
In the intervening time, three more persons have been included in the initial five suspects in the case, while one person has been discharged.
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