More anti-corruption institutions, yet corruption keeps growing – Sulemana Braimah
Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has questioned whether Ghana is genuinely committed to fighting corruption, saying that the continued creation of anti-corruption institutions has not stopped the problem from growing.
Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, has expressed doubts about Ghana's commitment to combating corruption, stating that despite the creation of multiple anti-corruption institutions, the issue continues to worsen. During an interview on JoyNews' Newsfile, Braimah highlighted that Ghana already possessed several organizations dedicated to tackling corruption prior to the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), such as the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
He argued that the OSP was established due to the limitations faced by these existing institutions, particularly their capacity to independently prosecute corruption cases. Braimah pointed out that while CHRAJ is constitutionally independent, it has faced capacity constraints that hinder its ability to deal with corruption cases.
He questioned whether the appointment of a Special Prosecutor through the President ensures the necessary independence to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, especially when the individuals involved may be connected to the ruling party. Braimah emphasized that the problem extends beyond the structure of the OSP and is rooted in Ghana's overall attitude towards corruption.
He expressed concern over whether the OSP is delivering tangible results to justify the resources and public confidence invested in it. Ghanaians, he noted, are increasingly expecting concrete outcomes from investigations and are not satisfied with mere press conferences and announcements. Braimah also raised questions about the OSP's impact after several years of operation, acknowledging that the institution had been inactive for about five months, but the current Special Prosecutor has been in office for 60 months.
He struggled to identify significant results that would demonstrate the OSP's effectiveness in improving Ghana's fight against corruption.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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