In a Thursday meeting with civil society leaders, journalists and lawyers, the anti‑corruption record of President John Mahama was largely praised, yet concerns were raised over the Executive Office of the Comptroller‑General of the Revenues (EOCO) and its handling of suspects in the PDS investigations.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, who was invited to assess Mahama’s anti‑corruption performance after 18 months in office, noted that the administration has made strides through ongoing investigations, prosecutions, termination of wasteful contracts such as the SML contract, and public procurement reforms. He also highlighted the reduction in ministerial appointments, the President’s Code of Conduct, and the EOCO’s record of recoveries.
However, the room was not blind to the darker side of the fight. Awuni pointed out that 81 out of 107 major contracts have been sole‑sourced, totalling over GH¢73 billion, and that the EOCO’s approach to suspects has become “pre‑trial coercive.” He cited the case of Philip Kwame Asare Ayesu, who was detained for two days in April, had his bail doubled from GH¢50 million to GH¢100 million, and had both corporate and personal bank accounts frozen, even though no personal transfers of PDS funds were found.
According to court documents, Ayesu’s lawyers were also detained and required to report to the EOCO three times a week since May, despite meeting onerous bail conditions and cooperating fully. The documents further revealed that the EOCO transferred funds from the already frozen accounts into its own holding accounts before any criminal liability had been proven.
Awuni warned that bail should not be used as punishment and that freezing orders should not be weaponised against suspects presumed innocent under the Constitution. He urged that investigations remain thorough and professional, prosecutions credible and evidence‑based, and that innocent parties be protected from state overreach.
While Mahama’s anti‑corruption scorecard currently earns cautious approval, Awuni cautioned that institutional excesses could tarnish the entire effort. He called for strict adherence to the law, reverse‑burden and non‑conviction‑based forfeiture rules, and close monitoring of all accountability institutions with police powers.
Future scrutiny will determine whether the President can maintain discipline amid political convenience and party pressure, or whether the anti‑corruption crusade will be compromised by state overreach.
