The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has challenged the President to show evidence of his fight against corruption by naming appointees his government is prosecuting or has successfully prosecuted.

The NDC National Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi said so far President Nana Akufo-Addo’s fight against corruption has been a ‘mere’ “administrative remedy of dismissing people.”

The President, speaking to lawyers at the Ghana Bar Association’s annual conference, mentioned 11 accusations of corruption made against his appointees and stressed each has been investigated or are being investigated.

President Nana Akufo-Addo addressed the 2019 Ghana Bar Association conference in the Western region

He also pointed out that 21 officials of the erstwhile NDC administration are being prosecuted for causing financial loss to the state, which he summed up as some ¢772 million.

Full speech: President Akufo-Addo addresses 2019 GBA conference

But reacting on JoyNews’ Newsnight Monday, Mr Gyamfi said the test of fighting corruption is seen in prosecuting officials within the administration alleged to have been involved in the canker.

The NDC, he said, prosecuted an appointee, former National Coordinator of the defunct National Youth Employment Programme, Abuga Pele.

Abuga Pele was jailed six years in February 2018 after he was found guilty of dishonestly causing financial loss to the state.

Sammy Gyamfi said sacking or suspending officials alleged to have been involved in corruption cannot be described as a fight against corruption.

Rather, it makes corruption attractive, he said.

Sammy Gyamfi picked on the latest sacking, the dismissed CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA) Emmanuel Asigri who was accused of breaching procurement regulations.

Mr Asigri allegedly awarded a contract well above the threshold of his office and authorizing the payment of ¢1.8 million to the contractor to run a streetlight training programme.

The National Communications Officer observed that Mr Asigri has not been arrested or asked to refund any money even though corruption is a criminal offence.