Daniel Yaw Domelevo, a former Auditor General has shockingly revealed that Judges who are supposed to be at the forefront of law enforcement refused to declare their assets.
According to Domelevo, during his time as Auditor General Kwasi Anin Yeboah, the former Chief Justice, justices of the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court several of them refused to declare their assets.
His comments come as President John Dramani Mahama has boldly stated any of his appointees who fail to declare their assets by 31st March will face severe sanction which includes removal from office.
According to President Mahama, the move is to enhance transparency and strengthen the fight against corruption.
John Mahama on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, declared his assets and officially submitted it to the Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, at the Jubilee House.
He revealed he takes the declaration of assets very seriously and expects full compliance from all his appointees.
Domelevo noted that public officials have been stealing from public funds which is the truth on the ground, not suspicion.
He noted that the Auditor General’s report shows that people holding public funds have always been misappropriating or using the money for their benefit.
In an interview on JOY NEWS, Daniel Yaw Domelevo detailed, “”In fact, when we started, it was clear that even the judiciary—which we thought should be at the forefront of law enforcement—didn’t declare. Including the former Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah and several High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court judges, they were all not declaring”.
The former ORAL member further called out CHRAJ as a complete disappointment in punishing officials who fail to declare their assets.
“When people complained or petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), I was completely disappointed when the Commission just said that, well, there are no punishments prescribed in any law for them. Or that Act (1998) 550 does not prescribe any punishment. So, go and sin no more,”
“I thought that if the Constitution says you should do something before you can enter office, and you didn’t do that before coming to office, you are occupying the office unconstitutionally,” Domelevo emphasized.
Domelevo further questioned how officials comply with the presidential swearing-in but refuse to comply with asset declaration, which is supposed to be done by the same Constitution.
He added, “For instance, could President Mahama just wake up on January 7, 2025, and say ‘I’ve been voted for as president, so I’m going to start as president. I don’t want swearing-in?’ No, it cannot happen.
“But how come that we judiciously comply with those requirements, even including the swearing-in of ministers, but then asset declaration, which is supposed to be done by the same Constitution, is neglected?”.
Watch the video below:
