Govt's claims that corruption survey was skewed is pathetic - IEA

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Ghana, has refuted claims that the sample for the Afrobarometer report that gave a damning verdict on government's performance is politically skewed.

The IEA report ranked the Office of the President as the second most corrupt institution in Ghana.

The report was contained in a Socio-economic and Governance survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

The Police Service topped the list as the most corrupt institution.

The Office of the President has since questioned the criteria used in arriving at the result, describing it as a skewed survey.

However, a Senior Research Fellow at the IEA, Ghana, Dr. Ransford Gyampo says government's claim that IEA skewed the report is pathetic.

“If anyone comes out to say the IEA skewed [the report against] the Office of the President, then it's very pathetic,” he said.

Speaking to Afia Pokua, host of Adom FM's Burning Issues, the political science lecturer said the IEA is a credible institution that has conducted a lot of surveys in the country, so it will be unfair for anyone to question its credibility.

The survey was conducted in all the ten regions of Ghana with persons aged 18 years and above as the targeted population.

The IEA noted that one of the most pressing governance challenges confronting the country is the high prevalence of bribery and corruption.

Respondents in the survey ranked Tax officials and Members of Parliament as third and fourth most corrupt respectively.

Other corrupt officials, according to respondents, were government officials, District Chief Executives, Judges and Magistrates, Assembly Men and Women, Immigration and the army respectively.