Mabey & Johnson Bribery Scandal: 'Bribe takers' must resign

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The Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mr Daniel Batidam, wants persons named as having collected bribes in a UK court to resign from public office.

He said those of them who are currently holding public office should step aside and clear their names.

Mr Batidam said he was not surprised about the court’s ruling citing some Ghanaian public officials as having engaged in corrupt practices.

His worry though is that the story proves that corruption can “take place in such a nebulous way that unless and until something happens and there is reason for a revelation to be made, we might just think that people and firms are innocent and doing business in the right way while in fact they are actually living at the expense of ordinary people.”

A UK construction firm, Mabey & Johnson, last Friday confessed in court in the United Kingdom to dolling out thousands of Pounds to Ghanaian public officials in the 1990s in order to influence government decisions affecting their business in the country.

During that period, the company constructed bridges in the country and said it paid bribes to government officials through agents fronting for persons in influential positions.

Some of such persons, who are in government today, Mr Batidam believes, would be doing themselves and their reputation a great deal of good by resigning.

He told Joy FM that the trouble is worth it.

Source: Myjoyonline