Prez Mills must Not Shield Bribe Givers - NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it is dismayed by the revelation that President John Evans Atta-Mills is refusing to expose criminals who have attempted to offer him bribe.

This development, according to the party, was an unfortunate setback to the nation’s fight against corruption. In a press statement signed by the Communications Director of the NPP, Mr Kwaku kwarteng, it said that “If people have become so emboldened that they are able to walk up to the highest office of the land and seek to offer bribe to the President of the Republic, then we are losing the fight against corruption.”

Last Monday, a renowned economist and a leading member of the NPP, Mr Kwame Pianim, absolved President Mills of what was generally perceived as the major albatross hanging around the necks of many African leaders — Corruption.

He stuck out his neck publicly and vouched for the integrity and cleaniliness of President Mills as far as corruption was concerned because he had, on at least two occasions, personally witnessed him reject some offers that could be corruptible.

The statement said such people should be exposed immediately and questioned why President Mills failed to cause the arrest of such criminals when the incident happened.

According to the statement, “It would appear that President Mills and the NDC government he presides over have an unhealthy interest in protecting such criminals.

It is to defuse such an impression that the President needs to stop shielding them and offer them to the law without further delay.”

More importantly, the statement said that the President’s shielding of the wrongdoers betrayed government’s lack of commitment to fight corruption.

It said that coming at a time of ongoing investigations into the Mabey & Johnson corruption scandal, the revelation of President’s protection for the criminals was embarrassing to the Presidency, the NDC government, as well as the nation, and called on the President to expose them now.