Five leaders of Parliament snub asset declaration law

Almost half of the leadership of Parliament have failed to declare their assets and liabilities more than a year after they were sworn in as lawmakers, raising concerns about transparency and accountability at the very top of the legislative arm of government.

Five out of 13 leaders from both the Majority and Minority sides in the legislature failed to comply with one of the anti-corruption laws meant to ensure that public officeholders do not use their office to enrich themselves illegally.

Out of the five, three are from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and two from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), data The Fourth Estate obtained from the Audit Service through a right to information request shows.

The defaulters are Deputy Majority leader, Kweku Ricketts Hagan; Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, on the NDC side with Deputy Minority leader, Patricia Appiagyei; First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu and Second Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib on the NPP side.

The Fourth Estate’s analysis of the data shows that the five leaders have been inconsistent with their declarations.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Kweku Ricketts Hagan, and MP for Cape Coast South, who has been an MP since 2013 has declared his assets and liabilities only once in October 2016. Mr Defeamekpor on the other hand, entered Parliament in 2017 and has done two declarations in December 2017 and February 2023. 

The Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, who is also the MP for Asokwa, has also been in Parliament since 2013 but has also failed to fully comply with the law. She did the declarations in September 2016, April 2021 and September 2024, which shows she only fully complied when she became a deputy minister in the Akufo-Addo government.

The last time Jerry Ahmed Shaib declared his assets and liabilities was in December 2020 when he was the CEO of the Coastal Development Authority. When he left office, he did not, neither did he comply with the law when he became an MP.

Similarly, Habib Iddrissu, the First Minority Chief Whip and MP for Tolon, became MP in 2017 but has declared his assets and liabilities only once in May 2023.

GACC reacts

Executive Director of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Beauty Emefa Nartey, told the Fourth Estate that compliance rates are so low because there are no consequences for defaulters.

“The reality is that when eligible declarants perceive little to no consequences for failing to comply with the asset declaration regime, they naturally do not take the process seriously,” she said

She made a strong case for the long-awaited Conduct of Public Officers Bill, describing it as a game-changer for the country’s anti-corruption architecture.

“It offers a real opportunity to address the persistent weaknesses in our current asset declaration framework,” she said.

“We need the president to champion the enactment of a law that includes robust verification mechanisms, clear enforcement procedures, and the consistent application of sanctions. Ultimately, we should build a culture where asset declaration is embraced as a civic duty, and not as a burden. This is essential for strengthening integrity and public trust in governance.”

What does the law say?

Article 286 (1) of the 1992 Constitution states that “a person who holds a public office mentioned in clause (5) of this Article shall submit to the Auditor-General a written declaration of all property or assets owned by, or liabilities owed by, him whether directly or indirectly (a) within three months after the coming into force of this Constitution or before taking office, as the case may be, (b) at the end of every four years; and (b) at the end of his term of office.”

The Constitution requires the declaration to be made before the public officer takes office. However, Section 1(4)(c) of the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act directs the public office holder to meet this requirement “not later than six months after taking office, at the end of every four years, and not later than six months at the end of his or her term.”

Currently, Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe are the only African countries that allow the publication of assets declared.

Who must do the declaration?

The asset declaration laws require that the President, Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament, Deputy Speakers of Parliament, Members of Parliament, ministers and deputy ministers of State, ambassadors, the Chief Justice and Judges of the superior courts submit to the Auditor-General, written declarations of all property or assets owned or liabilities owed by them, whether directly or indirectly. Others required to make similar declarations are managers of public institutions in which the state has shares.

However, The Fourth Estate’s investigations last year showed ministers, judges and other public officeholders disregarded the law.