Keeping Betty Mould in office is a problem for her and gov't - Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt fires government The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt has lashed out at the government for its lackadaisical attitude to prosecuting former government officials believed to have committed financial crimes against the state. He said the government was by its inaction wavering in its commitment to dealing with the canker of corruption. Speaking to Joy News, the anti-corruption campaigner said there was every justification for some Ghanaians, particularly members of the ruling NDC to be unhappy with the delays in prosecuting former government officials. He said it was inexcusable for the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Betty Mould Iddrisu not to have taken any significant steps towards prosecuting perceived corrupt government officials. With those comments, Mr Pratt has joined a tall list of disgruntled members of the NDC who believe Mrs Mould Iddrisu has been painfully inept in bringing to justice those who stole state money. “All the cases of corruption and there are thousands of them – if you read the Auditor-General’s Report from 2001 to the present, the cases of misapplication of funds, direct theft and so on – are huge,” he said. Mr Pratt catalogued a litany of things he believes establishes a prima facie case of corruption against appointees of the Kufuor administration stating for instance “if you look at the Auditor-General’s Report on the public purse for 2008, it is totally shocking, more than fifty-one billion cedis has been lost by the state and some action ought to be [taken].” Stopping short of calling for the dismissal of Mrs Mould Iddrisu, Mr said, “if Betty Mould is retained, it is a huge problem for her and the government.” The A-G has come under constant pressure to crack the whip and haul members of the previous government to court to answer charges of corruption and graft but she says she needs compelling evidence – something many of her accusers are not buying. They believe she has more than convincing evidence to proceed to court and secure convictions. This is not the first time Mr Pratt is baring his chest about his frustrations regarding the government’s inaction on corruption. Last year he called on the president to crack the whip but those calls appeared to have fallen on deaf ears. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana