Domelevo acting in 'bad faith' – Afenyo-Markin

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Efutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has criticised Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo, for speaking publicly on an issue he had already petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo about, in order to court public sympathy.

Mr Domelevo is accusing his Board Chairman, Prof. Edward Dua Agyeman, and the Board, of “unlawful interferences and violations” of his constitutional mandate.

According to him, Prof. Dua Agyeman, a former Auditor-General, also attempted to interfere with audit processes and took procurement decisions in his absence.

The President has constituted a committee to investigate the matter.

However, at a recent public lecture, Mr Domelevo advised appointing authorities to refrain from appointing former heads of institutions to chair boards of the same institutions the individuals served as heads.

Reacting to the issue on Saturday, 22 September 2018, Mr Afenyo-Markin told Samson Lardy Anyenini on MultiTV’s news analysis programme Newsfile that Mr Domelevo cannot force issues to go in his favour by making such comments.

“He has petitioned and the content of the petition is to be investigated and Prof Dua Agyeman has not responded point by point and issue by issue.

“Yet, you take advantage of a lecture to now re-echo the issue to get to the gallery for their support and sympathy? That is bad faith,” Afenyo-Markin noted.

In his view, Mr Domelevo “is being a judge in his own court” because the issue is already receiving attention from the president.

Prof Dua Agyeman has dismissed the claims made against him by Mr Domelevo but the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has also stated that the development is “extremely troubling and a threat to the ongoing efforts by the Audit Service to protect the public purse and promote public accountability”.

The Coalition said it finds “it unfortunate that Professor Dua-Agyeman, a former Auditor General himself, credited with initiating important reforms at the Audit Service that have helped in building the institution to its current level, is the one implicated in this worrying situation”.

The members are, therefore, calling for speedy action to ensure that the AG is allowed to conduct his duties freely without interference from any entity