Former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo has issued a dammning assesement of Ghana’s governance and accountability systems, stating that both politicians and public servants share equal blame for corruption.
Domelevo argued that corruption thrives through the collaboration between political leaders and senior bureaucrats, noting that politicians often rely on the technical knowledge of public servants to exploit state resources.
“In my view, they are equally corrupt. They are all corrupt,” he declared on The KSM Show monitred by MyNewsGh.
“The politician cannot take much from the public service without the public servant. The chief directors and directors have been there for several years; they know the details, they know which button to press and which not to press. When you take one cedi, they will take two. You take three, they will take four, because they know how to play the game.”
Domelevo highlighted what he described as deep-rooted structural inefficiencies within the public sector, including unnecessary overlaps in the functions of state institutions. He specifically questioned the existence of multiple anti-corruption agencies performing similar roles.
“I believe there’s too much duplication of public institutions. When you have duplicated functions, we tend to fight each other. That’s why if I had my way, I would have combined EOCO and the OSP. I think it’s unnecessary duplication,” he said.
He also took aim at aspects of Ghana’s justice and accountability systems that, in his view, undermine effective governance. He criticized the practice of imposing bail conditions that make it difficult for suspects to return home, calling it senseless and counterproductive.
Turning his attention to the Auditor-General’s office, Domelevo expressed disappointment over what he perceived as a lack of decisive action against powerful individuals implicated in financial wrongdoing.
“I’m not seeing the charge certificates flying. You should be holding some big guns—the big shots—accountable by now,” he stated.
Domelevo further criticized the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), describing its televised hearings as more of a spectacle than an accountability mechanism.
“They organize a TV show, bring people and ask, ‘Are you the one who didn’t validate?’ and so on. At the end of the day, you ask yourself: and so what?” he questioned.
He acknowledged that investigations are ongoing in some cases but stressed that the pace of action remains far too slow.
“There’s speed. The speed seems slow,” he remarked pointedly. “If there’s urgency, we don’t walk—we run. But I’m not feeling the urgency. Not that we are doing nothing, but the speed is too slow.”
