Opinions of Friday, 31 January 2025
Columnist: Gideon Buabeng Adu
Whistleblowing is a fundamental pillar in the fight against corruption. It allows individuals to expose wrongdoing and hold those in public offices accountable. However, the way a country handles whistleblowers defines its commitment to transparency, justice, and the rule of law.
The current case involving Oliver Barker-Vormawor, who has accused the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, who doubles as the First Deputy Speaker of the Ninth Parliament, and some NDC members of Parliament who serve on the Appointments Committee of accepting bribes from His Excellency President Mahama’s appointees, raises serious concerns about Ghana’s approach to handling whistleblower allegations.
Instead of launching an independent investigation, the same committee accused of
corruption is interrogating the whistleblower. This is a blatant conflict of interest that undermines the credibility of the investigation.
This is not the first time Ghana has mishandled a whistleblower case. A similar incident occurred during the His Excellency President Akufo-Addo administration, when the current Majority Leader of the ninth Parliament and member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, accused some members of the NDC MP(s) on the eighth Parliament Appointments Committee of taking bribes from former President AkufoAddo’s appointees, only for the matter to be resolved with a mere apology.
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