The former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo has disclosed that President-elect Akufo-Addo in 2016 encouraged him to accept John Mahama’s appointment.
Speaking at his thanksgiving ceremony to thank all and sundry who supported him while in office Wednesday, he said his confidence was buoyed by the encouraging words of Nana Akufo-Addo in 2016.
“Our relationship has been cordial since then and I am grateful to him for his support,” the anti-corruption crusader told Joy News.
“As the bishop has said, we are here to thank God and we are here to do that irrespective of what has happened…I would like to thank former President John Mahama who appointed me as the Auditor-General of Ghana. I thank him for the opportunity to serve my motherland.
“I would also like to thank President Nana Akufo-Addo for working with me. In fact, in 2016, when I was appointed and I was confused, as to whether to accept or reject the offer, a call came through from Dr Mathew Opoku Premmpeh.
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“After greeting him, he said ‘hold on for the President-elect.’ So Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo encouraged me and said ‘go and take the job’ and that is why I am very grateful to him,” he told the gathering including some CSOs calling for his reinstatement by the President.
Bye bye retired Domelevo
The anti-corruption crusader has been asked by the presidency to proceed on retirement on grounds that he has passed the 60 years retirement age.
This was after he served his mandatory 167 days accumulated leave as directed by President Akufo-Addo.
In a letter signed by the Executive Secretary of the President Nana Bediatuo Asante, it said Mr Dormelevo turned 60 years last year and is, therefore, deemed to have reached the mandatory retirement age.
However, the decision to retire him has been criticised by many civil society groups and personalities including Edem Senanu, Franklin Cudjoe, Professor Stephen Asare among others.
They said for someone who has saved the public purse from selfish and greedy public servants must be kept in office not hounded out of office.
Domelevo swerves Mahama’s appointment
Private legal practitioner, Egbert Faibille Jnr, stated categorically on Joy News‘ Newsfile programme on December 24, 2016, that Mr Domelevo swerved his planned swearing-in slated for December 23, 2016.
Then-President John Mahama had some few days to hand over to his political opponent Nana Akufo-Addo who has won the December 7, 2016 polls.
Mr Domelevo’s move to the Auditor-General was one of the few appointments he made prior to the end of his tenure.
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There were reports that the outgoing President was making last-minute appointments to key public offices to frustrate the incoming administration although the 1992 Constitution gives him the power to make those nominations.
But Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr said then newly sworn-in Auditor-General appeared to have gotten wind of the controversy surrounding the appointment and, therefore, decided to reject it since he was content with his international job.
But, Mr Domelevo rejected the claims.
He told the press journalists at the Flagstaff House just after his swearing-in that, “When the appointment was given to me, I thought I had to go back to my previous employers.
“I was with the World Bank. It was not good for them to see on news that I have been appointed so I sought permission to go back before I come in and accepted.”
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Nothing wrong with timing of my appointment
Mr Domelevo said he saw nothing wrong with the timing of his appointment, and also believed that it would not create any problems between him and the incoming Nana Akufo-Addo administration.
“I don’t think there will be any problems. One of the things about the Auditor-General is his independence. And so if one administration should appoint you for you to work with another administration, it guarantees your independence better”, he said.
He added, “I would have wished that the country can even adopt this, that, anytime there is an outgoing administration they appoint an Auditor-General so he is not under the influence of the one who appointed him and he owes no allegiance to the one who comes in. So I think we should thank God for this time.”
