Public officers seem love gifts too much – Domelevo

Daniel Yao Domelevo, the former Auditor-General, has expressed concerns about public officers. He believes they enjoy gifts too much but are paid to live within their means.

Domelevo commented on Mahama's code of conduct for appointees. He thinks some parts are good, but others need revision. For example, he disagrees with the gift declaration limit of ¢20,000.

He suggested adding valuable aspects of the code to the Code of Conduct Bill. This bill should apply to all future governments, not just Mahama’s appointees.

Speaking on JOY FM’s PM Express, Domelevo said, “We seem to like gifts too much.” He emphasized that public employees should rely on their salaries instead.

He referenced Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante's experience at the World Bank. There, the threshold for gifts was $50; anything above that had to be surrendered.

Domelevo praised parts of the document but urged lawmakers to integrate them into existing laws. This would ensure consistency across administrations and prevent future leaders from disregarding it.

He also criticized a specific section regarding asset declarations. The threshold for jewelry is set at ¢5 million, which he finds excessive and inconsistent with existing law.

Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante also weighed in on high-profile gifts received by President Mahama. He argued that such gifts should have been outright rejected rather than donated to the state.

Asante warned that accepting these gifts could create conflict-of-interest situations for the president. He stressed that it is crucial to discourage influential individuals from making such donations.

“How can we determine if the President is influenced?” he questioned during his appearance on PM Express on Joy News May 6.