The Coalition (GACC) and the Parliamentary Network Africa (PN-Africa) have called on Parliament to critically review the Conduct of the Public Officers Bill, 2018, as its current state was not sufficient to address key issues such as the declaration of assets of public officers.
They have called for sound amendments to be made before passage of the Bill.
The Conduct of the Public Officers Bill, 2018, was passed in accordance with Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution to strengthen the current legal framework governing the conduct of public officers and to repeal the Public Officers Act, 1962 (Act 114) and the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550).
Loopholes in Bill
Speaking during a virtual meeting to sensitise and mobilise media support for the speedy passage of the Bill in Accra yesterday, the Legal and Governance Policy Analyst of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Mr. Nicholas Opuni Opoku, said some loopholes had been identified in the bill which did not advance the objects of the conduct of the Public Officers Bill.
Making a submission on the theme: “Coordinating Civil Society input on the conduct of Public Officers Bill”, Mr. Opoku indicated, among others, that “the definition of ‘public officer’ was limited, asset declaration of public officers was shrouded in secrecy, as well as non-existence of mechanism for verifying the accuracy of declarations and or clarifications submitted by public officers.
“Also, the process for public officers filing their assets was too long (before assumption of office, at the end of every four years and after term).
“We have also realised that the declaration of assets excludes spouses, children under 18 and close relatives of public officers through whom the latter may indirectly acquire assets’’, he noted.
Reason for their move
Mr. Opoku further intimated that the objective of the bill was to make functional, the existing constitutional arrangement in Chapter 24 of the Constitution and tighten already existing laws on asset declaration of public officers.
He noted that ‘the present state of the law does not provide the necessary deterrence to achieve zero tolerance for corruption in public office.”
He also indicated that the Constitution did not define in detail the situations that constituted conflict of interest, and neither was there a legal framework which the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) can rely on to determine complaints made against public officers.
He added that “the lack of clarity in matters of conflict of interest and lack of an extensive code of conduct for public officers have contributed to lowering the trust that people have in public institutions in the country, hence the need for the enactment of this Bill.”
Intensify advocacy
The Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, CDD-Ghana, Dr. Kojo Asante, and the Deputy Executive Secretary of GACC, Mr. Bright Sowu, called on stakeholders to intensify advocacy on the review and subsequent passage of the bill.
Participants joining the meeting called for a common platform to be provided to intensify the advocacy of the review of the Bill.
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