The Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has attributed the prevalence of corruption in the country to the populace’s reluctance to report and divulge information related to corrupt activities in state institutions.
According to him, both the giver and receiver of bribes are aware that they could be prosecuted for their involvement in the act, thus the hesitancy to report such incidents.
He observed that instead of reporting such malfeasance, people employ another alternative to air their grievances, thereby aggravating the issue. People are so comfortable going to the rumour mill to tell others that the system is so porous or corrupt without giving evidence to the case to work with.
Mr Tuah-Yeboah noted that Ghana made no progress in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks Ghana 70th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption.
The Deputy Attorney-General further highlighted the role of the media landscape in increasing the corruption perception index of the country. According to him, there has been immense growth in the media landscape since the inception of the Fourth Republic.
He noted that, despite its watch-dog role in a democratic country such as Ghana, every rumour easily finds its way into the public domain, influencing the perception that the system is corrupt.
Mr Tuah-Yeboah also spoke about a critical factor of societal attitude, questioning whether there is a genuine willingness to change. He underscored the importance of addressing not only legal and institutional aspects but also societal norms to effectively combat corruption in Ghana.
