By Ibrahim Mohammed Saani
Tema, Aug. 21, GNA – Mrs. Petra De-graft Johnson, Programmes Officer of the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre under the Ghana Integrity Initiatives, says the anti-corruption office is working with some undercover journalists to unravel acts of corruption by public officers.
Mrs. De-graft Johnson said the ALAC office worked consistently to support undercover journalists and other persons critical in the fight against corruption with resources to enable them to undertake the mission of tracing incidents of corruption, gathering evidence, and initiating prosecution where appropriate.
She noted that the ALAC office constantly receives information from persons who have experienced or witnessed an act of corruption; “such reports are analysed, based on which an assessment is carried out on all the variables and a determination is made on the next line of action.”
Mrs. De-graft Johnson was speaking on the Ghana News Agency Dialogue platform initiative on the theme: “The fight against corruption in the Fourth Republic: A Mirage or Reality?
Supported by Mr. Michael Boadi, GII Fundraising Manager, Mrs. De-graft Johnson revealed that the Ghana Integrity Initiative, which set up the ALAC office, did not have any mandate to prosecute or investigate corruption, but work in collaboration with investigative journalists and public state agencies.
She said on a report of corruption a decision would be taken on resources for undercover journalists to do more findings and come out with evidence based on which they could refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies.
She said the ALAC office had a steering committee of 15 public anti-corruption agencies, which met every quarter to discuss complaints received and how to address them.
At such committee meetings, the experts direct cases to various institutions that have the mandate and then follow up on the cases until they receive redress.
She said that to be able to get public complaints, the anti-corruption office engaged in public education in communities to talk about corruption, its manifestations, and ways to report it.
She said the GII effort was aimed at empowering citizens to make and pursue corruption-related complaints, providing legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption, and using data on complaints to advocate for greater structural and institutional changes.
Mrs. De-graft Johnson said the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre had offices in Tamale for the northern sector, Kumasi for the middle belt, and Ho for the southern zone.
She also revealed that the office had archived some very good results, such as referrals of complaints to anti-corruption agencies and other state bodies for investigation and sanctioning, follow-up on all referred cases until a resolution was achieved, and consultation with a lawyer on cases that only need legal advice.
She noted that because the mandate of public offices that fight corruption did not allow them to handle cases without the complainant’s identity, most Ghanaians do not trust the system anymore so they preferred the ALAC office instead.
She said the GII office that deals with petty corruption, grand corruption and conflict corruption sometimes takes the case on behalf of the whistleblower and refers it to the appropriate agencies by writing a formal letter with the face of their office.
Mrs. De-graft Johnson said at an event that when a complainant did not want anybody to handle a reported case, they played the role of mediator, whereby a lawyer gave legal advice.
She said because most people were not comfortable reporting corruption, the office had found ways of working on corruption complaints without putting people’s identities out there.
GNA