 Prof. Ken Attafuah |
President J.E.A. Mills tasked EOCO early on this week to investigate the circumstances that led to the state paying GHS42 million to Alfred AGbesi Woyome, a businessman and financier of the ruling party, as well as other judgement debt payments made since the administration took office. The investigation is also to unravel who the beneficiaries were.
But in an interview with Joy FM’s Dzifa Bampoh on Thursday, Prof. Attafuah quoted Article 187 (6) of the 1992 Constituion as the basis for parliament to spearhead any such inquiry into the matter.
The article states that in matters of this nature, “parliament shall debate the report of the Auditor-General and appoint where necessary, in the public interest, a committee to deal with any matters arising from it.”
Prof. Attafuah said this constitutional provision was put there to entrench the separation of powers and the principle of checks and balances.
“The intendment of the drafters of our constitution, I believe, was to ensure that you do not have a situation where in matters of financial governance, in matters of this kind of irregularities you don’t have a situation where the executive investigates the executive.”
He said a committee from parliament, which will be multi-partisan and can tap into the expertise of the EOCO or any other statutory investigative body in order to ensure that the appropriate investigations are undertaken was the way to go.
The criminologist said this will help strengthen institutions and ensure good governance.
“I think that it is a better route because it helps us avoid all these perceptions and issues about the neutrality and independence of EOCO to do an honest job,” explaining though that he had no doubt about the competence of the EOCO to undertake the assignment.
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