The Executive Secretary of the National Investment Movement, Susan Adu-Amankwah, has called for firm action against corruption, saying Ghana must stop shielding powerful political figures if it wants to tackle indiscipline and corruption.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, January 17, while discussing Ghanaian fugitives detained in the United States, Madam Adu-Amankwah said failure to punish political elites sends the wrong message to ordinary citizens.

“If we don’t start punishing the political elite, then we should forget about the people down there. They look up to the political elite to show the way. And if the political elite are going to get away with all sorts of things, then the people down there are going to say, ‘What gives? We will do as we please.’”

She blamed widespread corruption and indiscipline on the perception that influential people are never held accountable. “A lot of the indiscipline and corruption you see in our society is because the political elite seem to be getting away with corruption," she said.

She said the country should put its own interests first and not worry about international embarrassment.

“It’s about time that we put ourselves first before we put anybody else. And this is about us. So we don’t care whether it’s an embarrassment,” she said.

She said that the return of convicted or accused public officials to face justice in Ghana should not be seen as shameful, but rather as a clear signal that crime does not pay.

“I think that we shouldn’t worry whether it’s an embarrassment that people have been detained,” she stated. Referring to former MASLOC CEO, Sedina Tamakloe, she added, “She has been judged to have committed a crime. And asking her to come back and serve her sentence is good for us as a people, for people to see that crime doesn’t pay.”

She said that accountability should not be confused with personal hatred. “The fact that you punish a family member for wrongdoing doesn’t mean that you hate them. It’s a deterrent for other people to see,” she explained.

Madam Adu-Amankwah questioned claims that Ghanaians are ashamed when accused or convicted officials are brought back to face justice.

“I don’t know who’s embarrassed. If you called 10 Ghanaians on the street and asked them whether it’s okay that somebody who has taken the money of poor women, of people struggling to put food on their table, is being punished, I’m sure they will say no, they are not embarrassed.”

She insisted that Ghana should not be concerned about external opinions. “We don’t care what other people say. For me, it’s not an embarrassment at all. We need to show that we are not going to tolerate corruption and that it is not business as usual,” she added.

On former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who is facing multiple charges, she dismissed suggestions that his possible return to Ghana would disgrace the country.

“I’m not with Ken Ofori-Atta. If it’s an embarrassment, it may be an embarrassment to himself. If he feels he’s innocent of all the things he’s been charged with, if he cares about his reputation, he should come and let the truth come out.”

She asked why Ghana should feel ashamed for demanding accountability. “Why should we be embarrassed for somebody to come and answer for his tenure of office?” she questioned, adding that even members of his own party may want him to return and clear his name.

“It helps their own reputation to say that we even asked him to come back. If they truly believe he’s innocent, then he should come and prove it.”

"So, I am hoping that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  will be the ICE that we see now and say go and answer to your charges," she added.