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Tag: Daniel Yaw Domelevo

  • “Heads should have rolled!” – Domelevo condemns govt’s inaction on Agyapa Royalties Deal

    “Heads should have rolled!” – Domelevo condemns govt’s inaction on Agyapa Royalties Deal

    Former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has expressed concern over the approach of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration towards combating corruption.

    Domelevo specifically highlighted the stalled Minerals Royalties deal, which has been on hold since 2021, noting the absence of any punitive action against implicated officials.

    He pointed out that a report from the Special Prosecutor in 2020 had flagged irregularities in the deal, yet no consequences have been seen.

    During an appearance on the Hot Issues programme on TV3, March 17, 2024, Domelevo emphasised that accountability should have been enforced following the corruption risk assessment conducted by Martin Amidu.

    Martin Amidu, the then-Special Prosecutor, released his findings on the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal in October 2020, leading to its suspension amidst criticism from the Minority in Parliament and civil society.

    According to reports, approximately US$12 million was expended by the state in processing the deal, before its supension.

    The Agyapa Royalties Deal was a financial arrangement initiated by the Ghanaian government. Its primary purpose was to address the long-standing challenge of insufficient capital for developmental projects in Ghana. Here are the key points about the deal:

    • The government assigned most gold mining royalties from Ghana’s industrial gold production to an offshore company called Agyapa Royalties Ltd.
    • Approximately 49% of the shares of Agyapa Royalties Ltd were intended to be sold for approximately $500 million.
    • Agyapa Royalties Ltd was incorporated in the Bailiwick of Jersey in the UK, which is a tax haven. This incorporation was designed to reduce associated high tax charges on returns to the Ghanaian state.
    • Agyapa Royalties Limited was planned to trade shares on both the Ghana Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange for the private market.

    However, in 2021, the deal faced significant controversy and opposition. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo suspended the deal due to public outcry and opposition from various civil society organizations and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). As a result, the Agyapa Royalties Deal remains on hold, awaiting further resolution and reconsideration.

  • Entitled, arrogant, idiots! – Domelevo ‘tears into’ current leadership

    Entitled, arrogant, idiots! – Domelevo ‘tears into’ current leadership

    Former Auditor General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, has rained heavy words on those he calls “the people in charge” while addressing various issues facing Ghana’s development.

    The outspoken statesman, in an interview on TV XYZ on October 23, 2023, cited several things going wrong in the country with a brief focus on the road sector and leadership’s inability to fix the roads.

    Using words like entitled, arrogant, and idiots, Mr Domelevo explained that there are a lot of “square pegs in round holes”, affecting national development because they do not know exactly what they are doing.

    He expressed his frustration over the state of the country’s road infrastructure, questioning the competence of those responsible for road maintenance and development.

    “Like when I was coming from my house to here, I ran into several potholes and I said which idiot is in charge of this sector, can’t we fix common potholes?

    “People have gone to the moon and back, you and I can speak to the whole world because of somebody’s brain and common potholes we cannot fix them, so what are we good at? We go to education, it is not good, we go to hospitals it is not good, so what are we good at?” he said.

    He also alluded to a sense of entitlement among those in positions of power, suggesting that arrogance and unwillingness to engage with the public are indicators of incompetence resulting in the problems the country currently faces.

    “The people in charge feel entitled to the positions that they have, and I also tell people that when you meet people who are very arrogant and they don’t want you to come near them, it means they are empty, they don’t know much.

    “Any person who is knowledgeable and competent engages…it will surprise you to see very common sense things that happen all around the world. We travel and go and enjoy it but you come back home and you are asking yourself, what is happening here?” he said.

  • Former Auditor-General Domelevo yet to receive settled retirement benefits

    Former Auditor-General Domelevo yet to receive settled retirement benefits

    Former Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, has revealed that he has yet to receive all of his retirement benefits since being unconstitutionally removed from office in 2020.

    Mr. Domelevo was compelled by the presidency to take a 169-day leave of absence in 2020, citing accumulated leave days that he had not taken.

    However, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, May 31, that the president’s actions were unconstitutional.

    In response to this development, Mr. Domelevo expressed his vigilance regarding the payment of his retirement package.

    He stated, “I have not received all of my benefits yet. What I saw last week Friday was a letter from the Ministry of Finance stating that they were paying me a differential gratuity and that the money had been deposited into my account. I asked, how can you pay me the differential when I have not seen the original amount?”

    Mr. Domelevo shared his concerns during an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM.

    His statement underscores the lingering issue of unresolved retirement benefits owed to him, raising questions about the proper and timely settlement of his dues.

  • Retro: To safeguard the nation, auditors must reveal financial fraud – Domelevo

    Retro: To safeguard the nation, auditors must reveal financial fraud – Domelevo

    In 2018, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, a former Auditor General, urged internal auditors to be fearless and expose individuals and organizations committing financial fraud.

    He backed up his assertion by stating that internal auditors serve as watchdogs for organizations, therefore they must carry out their tasks impartially.

    Since most accountants lie, he added, “you need to call a spade a spade.” He also advised internal auditors to be courageous and alert management to any misconduct they discover while performing their job.

    The former Auditor-General made this comment at the 50th-anniversary lecture of the Internal Audit Directorate of the University of Ghana on the theme: “Celebrating excellence, shaping the future through internal audit”.

    Read the full story originally published on May 6, 2018 by Ghanaian Times.

    The Auditor-General, Yaw Daniel Domelevo, has urged internal auditors to take bold decisions and expose infractions to save the country from financial malpractices.

    He explained that internal auditors are the watchdogs of any institution and are expected to discharge their professional duties effectively and efficiently, any breach or compromise would completely jeopardise the fortunes of that organisation.

    Mr Domelevo said at the 50th-anniversary lecture of the Internal Audit Directorate of the University of Ghana on the theme: “Celebrating excellence, shaping the future through internal audit”.

    He was speaking on the topic, “Public Financial Management: Improving Internal Audit Agency”.

    According to the Auditor-General, it is not every chief executive that understands their job; it, therefore, behoves the internal auditor to prevent wastage in the system by discharging their duty without fear or favour.

    “You need to call a spade a spade because most accountants do not tell the truth, that was why as internal auditors you need to be bold and tell management about any malfeasance in the course of the discharge of your professional duties”, he added.

    Mr Domelevo indicated that the anti-corruption crusade embarked upon by the President cannot be won if agencies and departments mandated to prevent corrupt practices do not function effectively adding that “the President does not have the magic wand to do it alone.”

    He urged the internal auditors not to be afraid when they come face to face with infractions, “expose them so that we can have a better Ghana so that internal auditors who go on retirement will live in peace instead of frequently being hauled before the courts to answer questions on mistakes made in the past.

    “The profession is a noble one that can bring the needed change to transform the country that is why I am appealing to managers to work closely with their internal auditors to enable them get first-hand information on rots occurring in their organisations”, he added.

    Mr Domelevo stated that it was not the duty of his outfit to settle matters on malfeasance at the workplaces because when the 30 days grace period to respond to the observations expire, his duty is to take you to court to demand the financial cost of your action in addition to the principal to ensure that the principal is not lost.”

    The Director-General, Internal Audit Agency, Mr Ransford Agyei speaking on the topic, “Governance, Management and Resourcing Internal Audit urged organisations to provide adequate logistics to the internal auditor to enable them function effectively and independently.

    He urged the auditors to provide unbiased reports to enable management achieve its objectives while ensuring that they exhibit the highest level of discipline to enable the organisation achieve its objectives.

    Good corporate governance, he explained involves the application of the appropriate code of ethics in order to draw the attention of management to infractions towards ensuring fiscal discipline in the running of the organisation.

  • Domelevo yet to receive emoluments 3yrs after his forced leave, removal

    Domelevo yet to receive emoluments 3yrs after his forced leave, removal

    It’s close to three years after his dilemma, yet, the former Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, who was ordered to proceed on leave and was subsequently removed from office by President Nana Akufo-Addo, has still not received his entitlements, including wage arrears.

    President Akufo-Addo in a statement dated Monday, June 29, 2020, and signed by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, directed Mr Domelevo to take his accumulated annual leave of 123 days and hand over all matters relating to his office to Mr Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Deputy Auditor-General, to act as Auditor-General.

    A subsequent letter by President Akufo-Addo on March 3, 2021, signed by Nana Asante Bediatuo, the Secretary to the President said, “The attention of the President of the Republic has been drawn to records and documents made available to this Office by the Audit Service, that indicate that your date of birth is June 1, 1960 and that in accordance with article 199 (1) of the Constitution, your date of retirement as Auditor-General was June 1, 2020,” the letter said, adding by extension, therefore, “the President is of the view that you have formally left office.”

    Surprisingly three years after he was ousted from Office, the former Auditor-General has not received his entitlement and salary arrears despite two separate letters to the presidency.

    In a letter sighted by citinewsroom.com, the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo urged the Board of the Ghana Audit Service to review the claims of Mr Domelevo and take the necessary action.

    “The Office of the President is in receipt of letters dated 5th November 2021 and 4th November 2022 respectively from the former Auditor-General, Mr Daniel Yaw Domelevo, regarding emoluments and entitlements due him upon retirement. The contents of the letters have been duly noted and are hereby forwarded to you for your kind attention.

    “This Office would be grateful if the Board of the Ghana Audit Service could review the claims of Mr Domelevo and take the necessary action in respect of them as soon as practicable. Kindly keep this Office informed of all steps taken in respect of this matter.”

  • If you desire to build a cathedral for God, use your money – Domelevo to Akufo-Addo

    If you desire to build a cathedral for God, use your money – Domelevo to Akufo-Addo

    Daniel Yaw Domelevo, the former Auditor-General has expressed disquiet about the use of state funds on the construction of the National Cathedral.

    According to him, since the concept of the project stems from Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s promise to God for making him president, the funding should be from his coffers not through state funds.

    In a Joy News interview, Daniel Domelevo also criticized how the Ministry of Finance used funds from the Contingency Vote to finance portions of the project.

    In the wisdom of Domelevo, the practise was illegal and untenable and must be condemned by all.

    “I find the expenditure for that transaction very unfortunate. At no point should we be using public funds to fund individual people’s needs or desires. If the president desires to build a cathedral for God, he should go ahead and use his money not public funds. Even if he wants to use public funds, the constitution has laid down procedure for the use of public funds especially from the Consolidated Funds. Article 1 states that it must be in the budget approved by Parliament,” he said.

    The National Cathedral has been fraught in endless controversies with the latest allegation being wrongful payment made to Reverend Kusi Boateng, a member of the cathedral’s Board of Trustees.

    Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu is on a crusade to expose what he views as wrongful payment of state funds to certain individuals and organizations concerned with the construction of the Cathedral.

    After an initial allegation that a whopping GH¢2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited, Ablakwa embarked on a mission to discover the persons behind the company.

    Ablakwa’s investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.

    Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa went on an expedition to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

    According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

    In an explosive set of allegations which he describes as the Tsar Bomba of all scandals, Ablakwa claimed that Reverend Kusi Boateng holds multiple passports and identification cards with some bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

    “You will recall that in my earlier exposé of the scandalous GHS2.6million cash transfer from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, I pointed out that incorporation documents reveal that the three directors of JNS Talent Centre Limited are Johannes Eshun, Sheila Eshun and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

    “I also later revealed that Rev. Johannes Eshun is a branch pastor of National Cathedral Executive Council Member/Director, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng’s Power Chapel Worldwide.

    “Hitherto, the third director—Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi has remained a mystery figure.

    “I am now able to reveal the true identity of this mystery director of JNS, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

    “Definitely, the code has finally been cracked and it shocks to the marrow!

    “Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same.

    “Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here.

    “From unassailable and irreproachable documents in my possession, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi uses multiple passports and multiple identification cards with different names and different dates of birth as his special modus operandi,” he wrote on Facebook.

  • Domelevo reacts to ‘commendable’ Auditor-General report on COVID-19 funds

    Domelevo reacts to ‘commendable’ Auditor-General report on COVID-19 funds

    The former Auditor-General (A-G) Daniel Yaw Domelevo, has reacted to the latest A-G report on COVID-19 expenditure spanning March 2020 to June 2022.

    Domelevo disclosed in a TV interview (January 23) that he was about to start auditing the COVID expenditure in line with the Constitutional provision as contained in the COVID-19 Act, Act 1013; before he left office.

    “I was going to actually audit the COVID funds in 2020 before leaving office. This is because the novel coronavirus Act, Act 1013 requires the Auditor-General to audit the financial statement relating to their revenue and expenditure and report on it within six months after the end of the financial year,” he told Joy News.

    He praised his successor for what he described as a good report but lamented the fact that massive wastage had taken place and current laws mean consequences are lagging for infractions.

    “I must say that it is sad that we are seeing this level of wastage at a time where there is no fiscal space as a result of which even people who lent money to government cannot be paid.

    “We should be doing more, there should be consequences for these infractions. If we do 1000 audits and there are no consequences people will continue with this impunity,” he lamented.

    Auditor-General’s report on COVID-19 spending

    The Auditor-General released a report on government’s expenditure during the COVID-19 pandemic covering the period between March 2020 to June 2022.

    The special audit report has been prepared under Section 16 of the Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act 584) for submission to Parliament.

    It detailed the various expenditure made by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies during the aforementioned period.

    The report noted that records on COVID-19 funds at the Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant-General and Ministry of Health indicated that, the Ministry of Finance mobilised a total amount of GH¢19,112,318,205.12 in 2020 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The records showed that an amount of GH¢1,978,551,137.46 was mobilised in 2021 and GH¢753,319,842.66 (up to June 2022) to finance the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme and the implementation of the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Prep000aredness and Response Plan.

    In all, a total amount of GH¢21,844,189,185.24 was mobilised to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

  • Domelevo reacts to ‘commendable’ Auditor-General report on COVID-19 funds

    Domelevo reacts to ‘commendable’ Auditor-General report on COVID-19 funds

    Daniel Yaw Domelevo, the former Auditor-General (A-G) has reacted to the latest A-G report on COVID-19 expenditure spanning March 2020 to June 2022.

    Domelevo disclosed in a TV interview (January 23) that he was about to start auditing the COVID expenditure in line with the Constitutional provision as contained in the COVID-19 Act, Act 1013; before he left office.

    “I was going to actually audit the COVID funds in 2020 before leaving office. This is because the novel coronavirus Act, Act 1013 requires the Auditor-General to audit the financial statement relating to their revenue and expenditure and report on it within six months after the end of the financial year,” he told Joy News.

    He praised his successor for what he described as a good report but lamented the fact that massive wastage had taken place and current laws mean consequences are lagging for infractions.

    “I must say that it is sad that we are seeing this level of wastage at a time where there is no fiscal space as a result of which even people who lent money to government cannot be paid.

    “We should be doing more, there should be consequences for these infractions. If we do 1000 audits and there are no consequences people will continue with this impunity,” he lamented.

    Auditor-General’s report on COVID-19 spending

    The Auditor-General released a report on government’s expenditure during the COVID-19 pandemic covering the period between March 2020 to June 2022.

    The special audit report has been prepared under Section 16 of the Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act 584) for submission to Parliament.

    It detailed the various expenditure made by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies during the aforementioned period.

    The report noted that records on COVID-19 funds at the Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant-General and Ministry of Health indicated that, the Ministry of Finance mobilised a total amount of GH¢19,112,318,205.12 in 2020 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The records showed that an amount of GH¢1,978,551,137.46 was mobilised in 2021 and GH¢753,319,842.66 (up to June 2022) to finance the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme and the implementation of the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Prep000aredness and Response Plan.

    In all, a total amount of GH¢21,844,189,185.24 was mobilised to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

    Source: Ghanaweb