Samson’s Take: Fighting corruption, Mahama scores high but…
On Thursday, I sat in a room with individuals who have spent years demanding accountability from government, public officials, and state institutions. I’m talking about civil society leaders, journalists, and lawyers whose names are synonymous with Ghana’s anti-corruption crusade.
On Thursday, civil society leaders, journalists, and lawyers gathered to discuss President John Mahama's anti-corruption record. Manasseh Azure Awuni assessed the administration's progress after 18 months in office. The Mahama administration deserves credit for ongoing investigations, the termination of wasteful contracts, and public procurement reforms, but there is still dirty stuff going on, particularly with sole sourcing, where 81 out of 107 major contracts have been sole-sourced.
He also mentioned the reduction in ministerial appointments, the President's Code of Conduct, and EOCO's record of recoveries. There was cautious optimism, acknowledging progress but questioning whether Mahama would maintain discipline as political power becomes intoxicating. A critical issue raised was the handling of suspects by the EOCO, particularly the case of Philip Kwame Asare Ayesu, who was detained, fined, and had his bank accounts frozen for months without a criminal conviction.
This coercive treatment raises concerns about the integrity of the anti-corruption campaign and the rule of law.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
