By Anthony Apubeo, GNA
Bolgatanga, Oct 18, GNA – Paramount Chiefs in the Upper East Region have advocated the enactment of a Legislative Instrument (LI) that would empower traditional authorities in the country to prosecute people who engage in corrupt practices.
They made the call in Bolgatanga during the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACAP) awareness engagement forum organised for the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs.
The ten-year anti-corruption campaign was organised by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) with financial support from the Transparency International.
NACAP seeks to create a sustainable democratic society founded on good governance and imbued with high ethics and integrity, devoid of corruption, through public sensitisation.
They said the traditional authorities were committed to assisting the mandated institutions to end the phenomenon of corruption however they did not have the mandate to punish people who engaged in the act, to serve as deterrent to others.
Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyaarum, the Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, said due to the current system that restricted the traditional authorities from prosecuting corrupt officials in their jurisdictions, culprits often got away with evil acts, “because they have money they sometimes threaten to sue the chiefs who stand in their way”, he added.
Naba Lemyaarum who is also the Vice President of the Region’s House of Chiefs, therefore called for the amendment of some provisions in the 1992 Constitution to give legal backing to the custodians of land including; the paramount, divisional and sub chiefs to crack the whip whenever one was found guilty.
He further asked for the amendment of the Constitution to restrict lawyers from defending corrupt officials in court so as to help speed up justice.
Mr Richard Quayson, the Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, said Ghana lost about 20 per cent of the annual budget to corrupt activities and about 30 per cent of every amount government spent on procurement activity was lost through corruption.
He attributed the cause to high indiscipline and lawlessness and added, “It is argued that what we lose through corruption in a year is about 200 per cent more than all the aid we receive in a year.”
The Deputy Commissioner said corruption was a threat to national development and the efforts to achieve Ghana beyond aid agenda and called on the traditional authorities to use their influence to educate their subjects on the need to end corruption for sustainable development.
Madam Mary Awelana Addah, Programmes Manager, GII, stated that true democracy depended on the will and ability of citizens to fully participate in the governance of the country by demanding accountability from duty bearers and reporting corrupt officials to mandated institutions for proper investigation and prosecution.
Mr Jaladeen Abdulai, the Regional Director, CHRAJ, urged the citizenry to employ the Whistle Blowers Act as an effective mechanism to expose corrupt activities to ensure sustainable development.
GNA
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