Accra: A member of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Communication Team, Ross Owusu, has warned that Ghana will continue to lose out in the fight against corruption if all persons implicated in public sector scandals are not brought to book. He emphasized the need for a national consensus to strengthen state institutions and ensure that public servants who abuse their positions face the same level of scrutiny as politicians and politically exposed persons.
According to Ghana Web, Owusu spoke on TV3's New Day, highlighting that the excessive focus on politicians has created an environment where some public servants exploit weaknesses within state institutions without sufficient accountability. He noted that politicians typically serve for a maximum of eight years, while civil and public servants remain within the public service for several decades until retirement, making strong and independent institutions critical to preventing corruption and protecting state resources regardless of which political party is in power.
Owusu questioned how about $19 million in funds allegedly due to the Ghanaian state could have been accumulated between 2017 and 2025 without detection. He stressed that the issue should not be treated as a partisan matter, insisting that anyone found culpable, whether a politician or public servant, must be held accountable. He also warned that the reported case at the Ghana mission in the United States could be only a fraction of the financial irregularities occurring at Ghanaian diplomatic missions worldwide.
He urged the Auditor-General to conduct forensic audits and auditing of Ghana's missions abroad to uncover potential irregularities. His comments follow a reported financial scandal at Ghana's Embassy in the United States, raising questions about the detection and prevention of such significant financial discrepancies.