Appiah Ofori: Mills only pays lip service to fight corruption

PC Appiah Ofori wants President Mills to prosecute corrupt officials       The Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, PC Appiah Ofori, is furious no public official under the past and present governments has been prosecuted for corruption in spite of credible evidence of corrupt practices. According to him, the president only pays lip service to the fight against corruption but lacks the political will to fight the canker. “He (president) condemns corruption just by word of mouth; that is nothing. And I am calling on him that he should not do it by word of mouth” he told Joy News’ Sammy Darko. The MP is not impressed with the tall list of past appointees who are at various stages of prosecution for various acts of financial misappropriation under the present government. He finds it laughable the charge of 'misapplication of funds' leveled against Deputy Ministers Prof Gyan Baffour and Dr Akoto Osei in the management of the TOR debt, saying no Attorney General can secure conviction in the name of corruption. “If you give me money to pay TOR debt and as a result of problems facing Ghana government in other areas the money is used to do other things, is it stealing, is it corruption? Can you secure corruption prosecution out of it?” According to PC Appiah Ofori, there are people who engaged in corrupt practices not only ministers who must be prosecuted. He cited an accountant in the office of a former senior minister’s office who he alleged was engaged in corrupt practices and who must be prosecuted. He said the audit report is also replete with numerous acts of corruption but which has not been dealt with by the Mills government. When he was challenged to mention names of corrupt past public officials who deserves prosecution, the MP retorted: “Don’t waste my time; go and read the Auditor General’s Report and you will see them there." Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana