‘Enough of the lip service’ – GBA calls for passage of Conduct of Public Officers Bill
This Bill, when passed, will amend and help strengthen the current Public Officers’ asset declaration regime
The Ghana Bar Association has called for the urgent passage of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill.
It notes that it is time for such a Bill to deal with the rampant cases of corruption among public officials.
This Bill, when passed, will amend and help strengthen the current Public Officers’ asset declaration regime.
It will also prevent the issue of public officers having “unexplained wealth” with the laws of the country which seem to be weak in dealing with it.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Bar Conference ongoing at the University of Cape Coast, the GBA National President, Yaw Acheampong Boafo also bemoaned the manner in which alleged reported cases of corruption are dealt with under the present political administration.
He added that the Association will hold the president of the Republic to his pre-election promise of making corruption a difficult venture in the country.
Illegal mining menace
Speaking on illegal mining, Mr. Acheampong said that a lot more can be done and that we will be playing ostriches with our future as a nation if we continue to act as we are doing now.
Funding and allocation of funds for public basic schools
He bemoaned the seeming discrimination in the funding and allocation of resources to public basic schools leading to the falling of standards.
Referring to a report by the Africa Education Watch, the GBA president noted a wide disparity in resource commitment of the government and called for the same to be addressed.
Legal Profession and Politics
The National President of the GBA questioned why some members of the profession are allowing their ranks to be divided along political lines insisting that there is nothing like NPP, NDC, or CPP law or lawyers.
Also, Mr. Boafo expressed worry about the fact that not in any of the other professions but the most noble profession exists a political association.
As such, the GBA through its president reiterated that the Association is not and has not been an appendage of any political party thus rubbishing the allegations from some quarters.
Overcrowding in prisons
Mr Acheampong called on the repeal or amendment of the minimum sentencing regime to deal with the issue of overcrowding in our prisons.
He maintained that the system of Mandatory custodial sentencing for most minimum sentencing is no longer needed and that judges ought to be given discretion in such matters.
