The Deputy Head of Legal and Prosecution at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Leo Anthony Siamah, has emphasised the need for a collaborative effort among all stakeholders to combat serious and organised crimes.

While contributing to a Joy FM discussion on safeguarding Ghana's stability against serious and organised crime threats in the upcoming 2024 elections and beyond, Siamah stressed that addressing these issues requires more than just investigations and prosecutions and highlighted the importance of creating awareness among the public about the challenges and the need for collective action.

"These are not foreign concepts," Siamah stated, debunking the misconception that organised crime is limited to certain regions.

He pointed out that Ghana's label as a transit point for drug trafficking indicates the presence of organised criminal groups within the country.

Identifying vulnerabilities in Ghana's legal framework, particularly in political campaign financing regulations, Siamah underscored the need for stricter laws and enforcement to prevent illegal money from infiltrating political processes.

He highlighted loopholes in existing laws that allow for the circumvention of regulations, emphasising the importance of enforcement to address these challenges effectively.

Siamah cited examples of recent cases where the lack of robust legal mechanisms hindered prosecution efforts, stressing also the need for laws that address unexplained wealth and hold individuals accountable for illicit financial activities.

Drawing attention to a 2018 report by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), which revealed a significant increase in party finance costs for parliamentarians between 2012 and 2016, Siamah emphasised the need for greater accountability in political financing. He urged stakeholders to demand transparency and accountability to prevent the misuse of funds in political activities.

The Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, emphasised the urgent need for action against corruption in safeguarding Ghana's stability against serious and organised crime threats in the upcoming 2024 elections and beyond.

She also highlighted the pervasive nature of corruption in the Ghanaian society, describing it as a "multi-faceted monster" that is constantly evolving.

Mrs Addah expressed concern about the increasing monetisation of elections and the role of criminal activity in funding political campaigns.

"We cannot keep quiet. We need to talk about the issue," Addah asserted, pointing out that corruption undermines the democratic process and erodes public trust in governance institutions.

She noted that politicians themselves are becoming increasingly concerned about the influence of illicit funds in elections.

Drawing attention to the phenomenon of state capture, Mrs Addah warned that criminal elements were exerting undue influence on political decision-making. She cited examples of illegal activities, such as illegal mining (galamsey), being used to finance political actors and manipulate government policies.

She highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability in political financing to prevent the infiltration of criminal funds into the electoral process and urged policymakers to address the root causes of corruption and strengthen anti-corruption measures to safeguard Ghana's stability and integrity.

"We cannot gain anything at all if we allow corrupt practices to undermine our democracy," she said, and called for collective action to combat corruption and uphold the principles of good governance ahead of the 2024 elections.

Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), warned against the pervasive threat of serious and organised crime (SOC) in Ghana, urging vigilance ahead of the 2024 elections.

Dr. Asante who highlighted various activities that may be classified as serious and organised crime, ranging from illegal fishing and small-scale mining to fraudulent schemes commonly known as "419" or "fraud boys", emphasised the alarming scale of illicit activities in the country, including drug trafficking, with Ghana identified as a major transit point for drug shipments from South America to Europe.

Dr. Asante expressed concern about the influx of unexplained wealth and sudden acquisitions of assets by individuals, particularly in politics and cautioned that such activities could undermine governance, perpetuate policy incoherence, and compromise decision-making processes.

"The alarm that we are trying to sound is that this type of activity has a debilitating effect on governance," Dr. Asante stated, adding, "Policy coherence is compromised when decision-makers are beholden to criminal elements or are forced to serve as protectors of illegal activities."

Highlighting the risks associated with resisting criminal influence, Dr. Asante noted the dangers faced by individuals who refuse to cooperate with criminal networks and stressed the importance of remaining vigilant in combating serious and organised crime, warning of the potential infiltration of terrorist financing through illicit activities such as illegal gold mining and drug trafficking.

"We need to pay very close attention to this, otherwise, we will wake up one day and it will be much harder to fight this," Dr. Asante cautioned.