Board Chair of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Daniel Yao Domelevo, has expressed concern that the fear of losing jobs or facing victimisation prevents many public sector workers from exposing corruption within state institutions.
Mr Domelevo noted that in cases such as the alleged financial irregularities at the National Food Buffer Stock Company and the DRIP equipment procurement, some employees may have detected wrongdoing but chose to remain silent to protect their livelihoods.
The former Auditor General explained that workers, especially internal auditors who attempt to speak up are often transferred, denied promotion, or dismissed altogether, creating an environment that enables corruption to flourish.
“At times too, some people, not that they are part of the plan to loot, they may not be part of it but they fear for themselves, especially internal auditors. If they see these things and they report it, most of the times what happens is that, you lose your job, the minimum is to be transferred or you remain on your grade or whatever,” he said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 25.
He added, “As I always say, once you fight corruption, corruption will fight you back. For fear that they maybe attacked, they don’t say anything.”
Mr Domelevo therefore urged government agencies to strengthen the work of internal auditors by amending the Internal Audit Act.