President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his government’s commitment to fighting corruption, issuing one of his strongest warnings yet to his ministers and appointees. He said any official who drags his administration into scandal will face severe consequences.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana on Tuesday, President Mahama criticized what he described as a long-standing pattern in which sitting governments fail to address corruption allegations, leaving successor administrations to confront them—often resulting in claims of political witch-hunting.
“When a government is in office, when scandals are taking place, they don’t deal with them. They leave it until a new government comes. And when that government begins investigating, the previous administration claims it is being witch-hunted. This is political persecution,” he said.
The President noted that he regularly reminds his Cabinet of their personal responsibility in safeguarding the integrity of his government. He emphasized that ongoing prosecutions involving former officials would apply equally to any member of his current administration found engaging in wrongdoing.
“I have given notice to my ministers. I remind them every day in Cabinet. The prosecutions we are taking against the previous government will apply to the first person who brings a scandal to this government,” he said, adding metaphorically, “We shall hang them on a cross… and you cannot resurrect again.”
President Mahama stressed that all corruption cases—whether involving current or former officials—would be handled strictly through due process. He cautioned against rushing cases to court without sufficient evidence.
“A person, even if accused, must have his day in court. Evidence must be gathered and examined before anyone is taken to court,” he said. “We are not going to rush those cases simply because the public is baying for blood. We will gather the evidence, prepare the dockets properly, so that when we take people to court, we are certain of the charges.”
He assured the Christian Council that government is equipping relevant state institutions with the resources needed to conduct credible and impartial investigations.
“The fight against corruption will be impartial and fair. We are strengthening the institutions and providing the resources they need,” President Mahama said.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
