Looking at quantum of money to recover and snail speed we are moving, I’m like, when are we going to get there? – Domelevo

Former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has reiterated his call for a legal reform to strengthen Ghana’s fight against corruption, warning that the government’s failure to act would suggest a lack of intent to tackle the problem.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme on Saturday [October 11, 2025], Mr Domelevo said Ghana’s existing legal provisions make it difficult to achieve timely outcomes in corruption prosecutions.

He urged the government to introduce new laws that would speed up trials and eliminate loopholes that allow suspects to delay justice.

“We need a law on reverse burden,” he said. “We need a law to bring finality to the prosecution of corruption cases. For instance, six months or one year must be a time limit.”

Mr Domelevo cautioned that without such reforms, public trust in the justice system would continue to erode. “We need to change the legal framework, and let me be blunt here. If the government refuses to do these changes, it only tells me that either they are also doing the same thing, they are also stealing, or they have the intention of stealing. That is the only motivation which will stop you from doing these things that bring about quick wins,” he said

He described the pace of ongoing corruption prosecutions as slow and discouraging. “Nine months is not small, my brother. Before we realise, we are finished with a quarter of President Mahama’s term,” he said. “When I look at the quantum of money we should recover and the snail speed at which we are moving, I’m like, when are we going to get there? We may not get there.”

Mr Domelevo said weak laws allow corruption cases to drag on until governments change, creating opportunities for offenders to evade punishment. “The prayer of the corruptors and their lawyers is that there should be a change in government. Then you hear ‘prosec’, and our money is gone,” he said.

He also proposed measures to improve judicial efficiency, including longer court sittings. “We need to build the capacity of the judiciary so that they can work even in the night, so that the cases can go faster,” he said.

Mr Domelevo stressed that his remarks were not aimed at discrediting the work of the Attorney-General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), or the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO). “I acknowledge the work being done by EOCO, the Attorney-General, the OSP and others. I am not satisfied, not because I was expecting convictions or recovered monies by now, but because of the legal framework,” he explained.

He insisted that Ghana’s anti-corruption bodies would only succeed if the government shows the courage to reform the law. “We have to change the speed at which we are moving and let people gain confidence that things are moving, and moving very fast,” he said.