The former Auditor-General and anti-corruption crusader, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, has been appointed the Board Chairman of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).
Mr. Domelevo was very critical of reducing public sector corruption in the former President Akufo-Addo’s regime. As bold as he was, he was surcharged high-profile public officials, including the then Senior Minister Yaw Osarfo Marfo in a one million United State Dollar Kroll & Associate contract.
The Senior Minister and four other officials from the Ministry of Finance sued Mr. Domelevo to clear their names in relation to what was said to be breaches of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) that resulted in their payment of US$1 million to a private UK firm, Kroll and Associates.
Mr. Osafo Maafo had said he was resorting to the courts because “the evidence available shows clearly that the Auditor-General erred in law and professional procedures in the exercise of his powers regarding his audit on payments to Kroll and Associates Limited.”
Even before the court case could end, Mr. Domelevo was directived by the President Akufo-Addo to proceed on leave which was contained in a letter dated June 29, 2020 and signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante.
On October 30, 2020, an Accra High Court struck out a $1 million surcharge issued by the Auditor-General against the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, and five others.
Mr. Domelevo’s removal from office by the then President Akufo-Addo was challenged by some CSOs at the Supreme Court.
From 2020, the Supreme Court gave its ruling in June 2023 were it said Mr. Domelovo’s removal was unconstitutional.
“We declare the directive by the President appointing an acting Auditor-General when the substantive Auditor-General had not retired or been removed from office purportedly in accordance with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution as unconstitutional, null and void,” the court declared.
Unconstitutional directive
It was the considered view of the Supreme Court that the directive by the President for Mr Domelevo to proceed on leave which was contained in a letter dated June 29, 2020 and signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, violated Articles 70 (1), 187 (7) (a), (12) (13) and 146 of the 1992 Constitution and was, therefore, null and void.
Mr. Domelevo was in December 2024 appointed by President-elect John Dramani Mahama who appointed him Auditor General in 2016 as member of the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) Committee – a committee that add the current Executive Director of EOCO, Raymond Archer as its member.
