[ 2021-03-11 ]

President-elect Akufo-Addo encouraged me to accept Mahama’s AG appointment
The former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo has
disclosed that President-elect Akufo-Addo in 2016
encouraged him to accept John Mahama’s
appointment.

Speaking at his thanksgiving ceremony to thank all
and sundry who supported him while in office
Wednesday, he said his confidence was buoyed by
the encouraging words of Nana Akufo-Addo in 2016.

“Our relationship has been cordial since then
and I am grateful to him for his support,” the
anti-corruption crusader told Joy News.

“As the bishop has said, we are here to thank
God and we are here to do that irrespective of
what has happened…I would like to thank former
President John Mahama who appointed me as the
Auditor-General of Ghana. I thank him for the
opportunity to serve my motherland.



“I would also like to thank President Nana
Akufo-Addo for working with me. In fact, in 2016,
when I was appointed and I was confused, as to
whether to accept or reject the offer, a call came
through from Dr Mathew Opoku Premmpeh.

“After greeting him, he said ‘hold on for the
President-elect.’ So Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
encouraged me and said ‘go and take the job’
and that is why I am very grateful to him,” he
told the gathering including some CSOs calling for
his reinstatement by the President.

Bye bye retired Domelevo

The anti-corruption crusader has been asked by the
presidency to proceed on retirement on grounds
that he has passed the 60 years retirement age.

This was after he served his mandatory 167 days
accumulated leave as directed by President
Akufo-Addo.

In a letter signed by the Executive Secretary of
the President Nana Bediatuo Asante, it said Mr
Dormelevo turned 60 years last year and is,
therefore, deemed to have reached the mandatory
retirement age.

However, the decision to retire him has been
criticised by many civil society groups and
personalities including Edem Senanu, Franklin
Cudjoe, Professor Stephen Asare among others.

They said for someone who has saved the public
purse from selfish and greedy public servants must
be kept in office not hounded out of office.

Domelevo swerves Mahama’s appointment

Private legal practitioner, Egbert Faibille Jnr,
stated categorically on Joy News‘ Newsfile
programme on December 24, 2016, that Mr Domelevo
swerved his planned swearing-in slated for
December 23, 2016.

Then-President John Mahama had some few days to
hand over to his political opponent Nana
Akufo-Addo who has won the December 7, 2016
polls.



Mr Domelevo’s move to the Auditor-General was
one of the few appointments he made prior to the
end of his tenure.

There were reports that the outgoing President was
making last-minute appointments to key public
offices to frustrate the incoming administration
although the 1992 Constitution gives him the power
to make those nominations.

But Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr said then newly
sworn-in Auditor-General appeared to have gotten
wind of the controversy surrounding the
appointment and, therefore, decided to reject it
since he was content with his international job.

But, Mr Domelevo rejected the claims.

He told the press journalists at the Flagstaff
House just after his swearing-in that, “When the
appointment was given to me, I thought I had to go
back to my previous employers.

“I was with the World Bank. It was not good for
them to see on news that I have been appointed so
I sought permission to go back before I come in
and accepted.”

Nothing wrong with timing of my appointment

Mr Domelevo said he saw nothing wrong with the
timing of his appointment, and also believed that
it would not create any problems between him and
the incoming Nana Akufo-Addo administration.

“I don’t think there will be any problems. One
of the things about the Auditor-General is his
independence. And so if one administration should
appoint you for you to work with another
administration, it guarantees your independence
better”, he said.

He added, “I would have wished that the country
can even adopt this, that, anytime there is an
outgoing administration they appoint an
Auditor-General so he is not under the influence
of the one who appointed him and he owes no
allegiance to the one who comes in. So I think we
should thank God for this time.”

Source - Joyfm

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