President Akufo-Addo encouraged me – 2016 General appointment

President Akufo-Addo encouraged me

The former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo has disclosed that

President-elect Akufo-Addo in 2016 encouraged him to accept

John Mahama’s appointment.

Speaking at his thanksgiving ceremony to thank all and sundry who

supported him while in office Wednesday, he said his confidence was

buoyed by the encouraging words of Nana Akufo-Addo in 2016.

“Our relationship has been cordial since then and I am grateful to

him for his support,” the anti-corruption crusader told Joy News.

“As the bishop has said, we are here to thank God and we are here

to do that irrespective of what has happened…

I would like to thank former President John Mahama who

appointed me as the Auditor-General of Ghana.

I thank him for the opportunity to serve my motherland.

“I would also like to thank President Nana Akufo-Addo

for working with me. In fact, in 2016, when I was appointed

and I was confused, as to whether to accept or reject the offer,

a call came through from Dr Mathew Opoku Premmpeh.

“After greeting him, he said ‘hold on for the President-elect.’

So Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo encouraged me and said ‘

go and take the job’ and that is why I am very grateful to him,”

he told the gathering including some CSOs calling for his reinstatement by the President.

President Akufo-Addo encouraged me – Bye bye retired Domelevo

The anti-corruption crusader has been asked by the presidency

to proceed on retirement on grounds that he has passed the 60 years retirement age.

This was after he served his mandatory 167 days accumulated

leave as directed by President Akufo-Addo.

In a letter signed by the Executive Secretary of the President,

Nana Bediatuo Asante, it said Mr Dormelevo turned 60 years last year and is,

therefore, deemed to have reached the mandatory retirement age.

However, the decision to retire him has been criticised by

many civil society groups and personalities including Edem Senanu,

Franklin Cudjoe, Professor Stephen Asare among others.

They said for someone who has saved the public purse

from selfish and greedy public servants must be kept in

office not hounded out of office.

President Akufo-Addo encouraged me – Domelevo swerves Mahama’s appointment

Private legal practitioner, Egbert Faibille Jnr, stated categorically on

Joy News‘ Newsfile programme on December 24, 2016, that Mr Domelevo

swerved his planned swearing-in slated for December 23, 2016.

Then-President John Mahama had some few days to hand over

to his political opponent Nana Akufo-Addo who has won the December 7, 2016 polls.

Mr Domelevo’s move to the Auditor-General was one of the

few appointments he made prior to the end of his tenure.

There were reports that the outgoing President was making

last-minute appointments to key public offices to frustrate the

incoming administration although the 1992 Constitution gives

him the power to make those nominations.

But Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr said then newly sworn-in Auditor-General

appeared to have gotten wind of the controversy surrounding

the appointment and, therefore, decided to reject it since

he was content with his international job.

But, Mr Domelevo rejected the claims.

He told the press journalists at the Flagstaff House just after

his swearing-in that, “When the appointment was given to me,

I thought I had to go back to my previous employers.

“I was with the World Bank. It was not good for them to see on

news that I have been appointed so I sought permission

to go back before I come in and accepted.”

Nothing wrong with timing of my appointment

Mr Domelevo said he saw nothing wrong with the

timing of his appointment, and also believed that it would

not create any problems between him and the incoming

Nana Akufo-Addo administration.

“I don’t think there will be any problems. One of the things

about the Auditor-General is his independence.

And so if one administration should appoint you for you to work with

another administration, it guarantees your independence better”, he said.

He added, “I would have wished that the country can even adopt this,

that, anytime there is an outgoing administration they appoint an

Auditor-General so he is not under the influence of the one who

appointed him and he owes no allegiance to the one who comes in.

So I think we should thank God for this time.”