The Executive Director of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe has suggested the immediate dissolution of the presidential commission investigating Ghana\u2019s embarrassing outing at the 2014 World Cup tournament.<\/p>\n
He was of the view that the startling revelations of massive corruption and mismanagement of funds by the organizers of the country\u2019s participation in Brazil must be a strong basis for ending the commission\u2019s work for prosecution to begin.<\/p>\n
He told Citi News<\/strong> that such an action will enable the President, John Mahama to leave a strong legacy of fighting corruption.<\/p>\n \u201cI will think that if the President wants to leave a legacy of fighting corruption, he should immediately and effectively stop the commission\u2019s work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”Ymhtl3i5lJcmSymmIUhKiEslphxGaFTB”]Following Ghana\u2019s poor showing at the 2014 World Cup tournament and the number of scandals which hit the senior national team, the President set up a three-member commission<\/strong><\/span><\/a> to investigate the organizational lapses which may have led to the developments in Brazil.<\/p>\n The commission\u2019s work which is broadcast live on national television has revealed seeming cases of corruption and thievery by officials who were in charge of monies to ensure Ghana’s smooth participation at the tournament.<\/p>\n These have increased calls for the prosecution of persons found to have engaged in dubious deals for their personal benefit.<\/p>\n According to Mr. Cudjoe, Ghanaians have \u201cvery short memory\u201d therefore; taking immediate action against persons found culpable is necessary.<\/p>\n He recommended that \u201canybody who has been appearing there or who has perpetrated or have actually been involved in this act [corruption] must be whisked away immediately and the Police should take over.\u201d<\/p>\n One of startling revelations that emerged at the Dzamefe Commission was the ‘cedi turns dollar’ saga.<\/p>\n Horace Ankrah who chaired the Grounds, Events and Logistics Sub-committee revealed at the Justice\u00a0Dzamafe Commission that amounts agreed with caterers to cook food for Black Stars supporters was 34 cedis<\/strong><\/span>,<\/a> but the amounts penciled in official documents was 35\u00a0 dollars.<\/p>\n The CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Alex Mould was also shocked <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>after the Commission told him\u00a0his outfit may have paid for Black Stars friendly matches even after the Ghana Football Association (GFA) had received payments from agents for the same matches.<\/p>\n The IMANI boss also advised the President to stop setting up commissions and committees to investigate issues of national interest because their services come at an additional cost to the state and usually, their recommendations are mostly not implemented.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the President is interested in fighting corruption and leaving a legacy, he should stop setting up commissions. This is a very effective thing to do right now,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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