Decouple asset declaration mandate from Auditor-General-Domelovo

Former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has urged a constitutional amendment to reassign the responsibility for asset declarations by public officials away from the Auditor-General’s Department.

Speaking at a Constitution Review Committee stakeholder session on anti-corruption in Accra on April 14, 2025, Mr. Domelevo argued that the current system diminishes both the credibility of asset declarations and the effectiveness of the Auditor-General’s core auditing functions.

He noted that before his appointment in 2016, public officers submitted asset declarations in sealed envelopes that remained unopened and unverified. “Before I took office, nobody was allowed to inspect the content of those declarations,” he recalled. “I once asked what would happen if a court ordered the envelope opened and it contained only newspaper cuttings. How could I prove I wasn't responsible?”

During his tenure, he introduced new protocols requiring public officers to present valid ID, sign every page of their forms, and submit them unsealed for accountability. However, he expressed concern that these procedures may no longer be in use since his exit in 2020.

He proposed that the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) or a dedicated anti-corruption body be assigned this mandate instead.

Domelevo also called for constitutional reforms to require public officials to declare assets before taking office, challenging Parliament’s current six-month grace period. He criticized declarations that include speculative assets such as unfinished buildings or undeveloped plots earmarked for future projects.

Furthermore, he advocated for a dedicated chapter in the Constitution explicitly defining corrupt practices and setting out enforcement mechanisms.