In its lead story, which is based on President Jerry Rawlings’ sessional address to mark the state opening of the first meeting of the fourth session of the Second Parliament, the Evening News reports that the President has tasked the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to prosecute individuals and organisations it has investigated and found guilt of corruption.
The paper says that President Rawlings expressed the government’s concern about the level of corruption n Ghana. It says that the Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mr Emile Short, came under criticism from the President, following his contribution on a “GTV” programme, which questioned the commitment of the government to control corruption in Ghana. President Rawlings is reported as noting that the Commission was reversing most of the cases involving fraudulent contracts, tax evasion, embezzlement and misappropriation, which had been decided on. President Rawlings is said to have told Parliament that the SFO, in 1999, investigated 37 cases involving fraud, embezzlement and other malfeasance, that amounted to 9.5 billion cedis. Out of this amount, 2.2 billon cedis has so far been recovered.
