President will not insulate corrupt officials – Minister

President John Dramani Mahama would not insulate any public official that would be caught in the web of siphoning government funds, Mr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, a Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations has warned.

“President Mahama’s call for the institution of a committee to investigate the financial malpractices captured by the Auditor General’s report is appropriate and will deal with culprits equally according to the laws of this land,” he said.

The Deputy Minister gave the warning during the daily media briefings at the Flagstaff House in Kanda on Tuesday.

He said the President’s announcement of the formation of the committee during the Republic Day luncheon for Senior Citizens at the State Banquet Hall on Monday was apt.

The President gave the directive to the Minister of Attorney General and Justice in relations to the malpractices that were captured in the Auditor-General’s report.

He also promised to crack the whip on public officials who would be found culpable and this had attracted criticisms from the public.

Mr Murtala said the President’s announcement was not targeting a particular group of persons.

“Whoever is captured whether a Minister or other public officials will all face the law equally,” he said.

He said although the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament is investigating some of the malpractices, the constitution of the committee is necessary to complement their work.

Mr Murtala said although the formation of the committee would not serve as an absolute solution to corruption, it was a giant step that could serve as a deterrent to public officials.

He called on the media to be circumspect in their reportage on the issue by providing platforms for people to have objective analysis on national issues.

Source: GNA