IMANI Now "Rented Civil Society"

The Daily Guide newspaper has referred to IMANI Africa as a "rented civil society group" after the policy think tank openly supported the Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo, following reports of 'unlawful interference' in his work by the Audit Service Board.

In an editorial Friday, the pro-government newspaper slammed IMANI, accusing the organisation of doing the biding of the Auditor General.

"It is now clear that Ghana has a rented civil society organization. In the past few days this organization has been engaged to do the bidding of the embattled Auditor-General of the Republic," the newspaper wrote. "The Imani group has been hired and is gradually gathering momentum in the task assigned it. It has fired its first salvo providing a covering fire for Daniel Yaw Domelevo to go on rampage with illogical charges. The Audit Service has never been so much in the public space and negatively, of course, through the blunders of its General."

The newspaper goes on to attack the Mr Domelevo, writing that he has "embarked on a useless journey of seeking to convince the world that he is being hounded out of office. After an unnecessary garrulous presence on the public space, he has ended up shooting himself in the foot."

It also described as :despicable and unbecoming" of the Audit General to think that he is being hounded out of office.

"For him to think that there is a subtle plot to hound him out of office and to therefore resort to renting a civil society organization the way he has, is despicable and unbecoming of a public officer of his stature. We are paying as a nation for the consequences of injury time appointments."

The strongly worded editorial of the biggest private newspaper in Ghana comes after the Mr Domelevo petitioned the President over the conduct of the Board Chairman of the Audit Service, Prof. Edward Dua-Agyeman.

Mr Domelevo in his petition accused Prof. Dua-Agyeman, a former Auditor General under the John Kufuor administration of 'unlawful interference' in his work.

But the board in a counter petition to the president said the Auditor General has said he is not ready to work with the board.