Code Of Conduct: You shouldn't have accepted two vehicle gifts – President Mahama told

The Director of Policy Engagements and Partnerships astatine the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has said that President John Dramani Mahama should not person accepted the donation of 2 vehicles, adjacent though helium aboriginal declared them and handed them implicit to the state.

Speaking successful an interrogation with JoyNews connected May 6, 2025, Dr Asante expressed beardown disapproval of the President’s actions, stating that accepting specified a acquisition could compromise some his presumption and the integrity of the presidency.

He raised concerns astir the imaginable for the President to beryllium influenced by these gifts.

“I deliberation it's a no, no, due to the fact that these are high-value gifts. How are you going to find whether the President gets influenced oregon not successful those kinds of scenarios? Inasmuchas we privation to discourage backstage individuals oregon radical of immoderate kind, it's the President we are talking astir and the President has a batch of powerfulness to make these kinds of conflict-of-interest scenarios that you can’t truly cure due to the fact that it's precise hard to found immoderate payment 1 mode oregon the other,” helium said.

Dr Asante acknowledged that addressing behaviours wherever backstage individuals connection gifts to governmental appointees oregon the President successful an effort to triumph favour tin beryllium challenging, and would necessitate sustained and dedicated efforts to combat it effectively.

He, however, called for the adoption of applicable approaches to code the contented of gift-giving to politically exposed persons and appointees, arguing that relying solely connected a threshold for acquisition declarations is not the astir effectual solution.

According to Dr Asante, specified an attack whitethorn neglect to beforehand accountability and could yet decision the intent of transparency.

“So, arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, we should conscionable debar these entirely. Because we are truthful utilized to doing these things, making this alteration successful behaviour volition beryllium precise uncomfortable, but if we are truly resetting, we truly cannot permission country for incentivising radical successful influential positions.

“There’s a batch of champion signifier crossed the world. We conscionable person to look astatine them cautiously and use them. If we truly privation to rise the modular of accountability and integrity, past there’s nary country for accepting invaluable gifts,” helium added.

Dr Asante made these remarks successful effect to the unveiling of a Code of Conduct by erstwhile President Mahama for his appointees, during which the President publically disclosed that helium had received 2 high-value vehicles arsenic gifts — gifts helium aboriginal handed implicit to the state.

MAG/VPO

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