President John Dramani Mahama has presented the necessary documents on all assets he has acquired to the Auditor General in compliance with Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution.

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The president submitted the documents today and duly informed the press in an engagement.

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"I have just performed a simple but briefly, very important act of presenting my complete assets declaration forms to the auditor general as required by Article 286 of the 1992 constitution and the Public Office Holders declaration of assets and disqualification Act 1998, Act 550."

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Ghana’s constitution in Article 286 (1) requires a good number of public office holders to submit to the Auditor General “a written declaration of all property or assets owned by, or liabilities owed by, him whether directly or indirectly -(a) within three months after the coming into force of this Constitution or before taking office, as the case may be,(b) at the end of every four years; and(c) at the end of his term of office.”

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According to President Mahama, who in times past declared his assets privately, Ghana's asset declaration regime and its related activities have often been shrouded in secrecy and only unless in special circumstance, compliance is often difficult to measure.

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"In times past, I would have privately presented these forms to the Auditor General in fulfilment of my statutory obligation. I have taken this step of presenting these forms publicly as a way of injecting some openness and transparency into the process of assets declaration. I have always maintained that while it is all well and good to punish corruption, a more effective way of addressing the canker is preventing it from occurring in the first place," he added.

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The president stressed that "if properly curated and enforced, the asset declaration process can become a sustainable tool for tackling corruption."

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In a related event, former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo has urged President John Mahama to ensure that all appointees declare their assets before being sworn into office.

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Domelevo also stressed the need for robust enforcement of asset declaration laws in Ghana. He called on institutions like the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to ensure compliance and hold public officials accountable. Proactive enforcement, Domelevo believes, would deter corruption and enhance confidence in the governance system.

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The Public Office holders to whom the Article refers are those specified in Schedule 1 ofPublic Office Holders (Declaration of Asset and Disqualification) Act, 1998, Act 550 as statedbelow:a) President of the Republic;b) Vice-President of the Republic;c) Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and a member of Parliament;d) Minister of State or Deputy Minister;e) Chief Justice, Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature, Chairman of a RegionalTribunal, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and hisdeputies and all judicial officers;f) Ambassador or High Commissioner;g) Secretary to the Cabinet;h) Head of Ministry or government department or equivalent office in the Civil Service;i) chairman, managing director, general manager and departmental head of a publiccorporation or company in which the State has a controlling interest; andj) The Governor, Bank Of Ghana and his deputiesk) Chairman, Electoral Commission and his deputiesl) Chairman, National Commission for Civic Education and his deputiesm) Head of Chancery of Ghana Embassy of Ghana High Commissionn) Heads of Departments of Bank of Ghanao) Officers in the Armed Forces seconded to civilian establishment and institutionsp) Members of the Tender Boards of the Central, Regional and District Assembliesq) Officials of Vehicle Examination and Licensing Division (VELD) not below the rank ofVehicle Examinerr) Presidential Staffers and Aidess) Officer of the rank of Assistant Inspector of Taxes and above in the Ghana RevenueAuthority or its equivalent in the :t) Officers of the Police Serviceu) Officers of the Prison Servicev) District Chief Executivew) Presiding member and secretary of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembliesx) Chairman, Public Services Commission and his Deputiesy) Head, Office of the Civil Servicez) Persons who are:i) Heads of;ii) Accountants in;iii) Internal Auditors in;iv) Procurement Officers in; andv) Planning and Budget officer in finance and procurementdepartments of government ministries, departments andagencies, District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies:aa) An Officer in any other public office or public institution other than the Armed Forcesthe salary attached to which is equivalent to or above the salary of a Director in the CivilService.

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