The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition and the British High Commission in Accra (the British Embassy) have published A User's Guide to the Whistleblower as part of their efforts to eradicate corruption. The 34-page booklet is inspired by a call of Ghana's President, John Evans Atta Mills, to make the penalties for corruption high enough for deterrence. Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, an editor of the booklet, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that corruption goes beyond giving and taking bribes. In addition to economic crimes, "many forms of unlawful and improper conduct negatively affect Ghana's development."
Prof Attafuah laments that anti-corruption laws are not always effective.
This is partly because most of these practices occur in secret, and those who engage in them take steps to "cover their tracks." Sometimes, however, some individuals witness these corrupt and improper acts, or get to know about them. Indeed, every year, thousands of employees, managers, corporate executives and other officials witness serious acts of impropriety or wrongdoing that cost the nation a great deal. Sadly, most of them do not disclose such wrongdoing mainly because they are afraid of being victimized.
Prof Attafuah raised a concern that some "patriotic citizens" decline to speak up because the public officials might not "act properly to protect the public interest, to stop the improper act from taking place, or to have those who have engaged in such impropriety dealt with in accordance with the law." He told GNA that the Whistleblower Act (Act 720) is an important anti-corruption tool, that encourages and supports individuals to "blow the whistle" on unlawful or other illegal conduct or corrupt practices of other persons, and also protects any person who "blows the whistle" or exposes the corrupt or other unlawful conduct of other persons.
.jpg)