‘It is the height of ignorance’ – John Boadu to NDC on plot to remove Auditor General
New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, John Boadu, has asked Ghanaians to disregard claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) that there is a plot to remove the Auditor General, Daniel Domelovo from office.
“NDC had no reason for their press conference, it had no substance…. maybe they should tell us why they didn’t prosecute Dzifa Ativor and allowed her to resign, go home to spend our money in the bus branding scandal”
“It’s about time the NDC raised it credibility so we can engage them on issues” he said.
In a press briefing on Monday, the NDC expressed their displeasure at the sudden countenance of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his demeanor in the Kroll scandal involving the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo.
The Party alleged that the NPP government has engineered various plans to oust Domelevo, including using AFAG to petition to the President on the matter soon.
“The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), an NPP offshoot which has been used to carry out this vendetta, would petition the President in the coming days for the removal of the Auditor-General,” the NDC statement read.
However, in an interview on Okay FM monitored by theghanareport.com, Boadu said it is the height of ignorance for the NDC to accuse the government of ploting to oust the Auditor General.
BACKGROUND
Petition
A private citizen petitioned EOCO, claiming, among others, that the Audit Service had breached the Procurement Law, Act 663, in the procurement of vehicles worth almost GH¢6.2 million.
The petitioner requested EOCO to determine whether proper procedures were followed by the Entity Tender Committee (ETC) in procuring the vehicles and recommend appropriate sanctions in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, Act 663, where necessary.
On November 14, 2019, Domelevo was invited by EOCO.
He gave a statement and was cautioned and granted bail by the investigative body for further investigations into the allegation.
However, on November 18, 2019, the Auditor-General wrote to EOCO to stop probing him and his outfit, with the argument that the investigative body has no power to do so.
He, consequently, demanded an unqualified apology from the anti-graft state agency within five working days from the date of the receipt of the letter.
In his response, the Executive Director of EOCO, Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Frank Adu-Poku (retd), told the Daily Graphic that the Auditor-General could not put his own interpretation on the law and if he had any issues he should go to court for redress.
Suit
On November 20, 2019, Domelevo filed a suit at the Accra High Court with a case that EOCO had no legal mandate to investigate alleged procurement breaches against him, any official of the Audit Service, the service itself or any public official or public institution.
According to him, it is the OSP that had the power to investigate such alleged offences.
Based on his contention, the Auditor-General described the investigation by EOCO as “wrongful, illegal, capricious and null and void”.
He, therefore, wants the court to declare the investigations by EOCO as illegal and order a halt to the investigations.
Some CSOs have described the investigations currently being conducted by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) as an attempt “to teach the Auditor General a lesson.”