Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has defended the government’s decision to invite former appointees of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for questioning over alleged financial and procurement irregularities.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Accra on Tuesday, August 18, Mr Gbande said former government officials who received public funds for projects or the supply of goods and services must be prepared to account for how the money was used.
Mr Gbande said the government had a responsibility to establish what happened to public funds entrusted to former officials, insisting that being invited by law enforcement authorities to answer questions should not automatically be interpreted as persecution.
He cited contracts involving road projects and the supply of goods, arguing that officials who received government cheques but allegedly failed to deliver the contracted projects or items must explain what happened to the funds.
“There are those who took money for contracts. They took cheques from the government and promised to supply things they did not supply. If the police have called you to come and explain, is that a problem?” he said.
Mr Gbande stressed that the government would continue to demand accountability from individuals who managed state resources, saying former public officials should be willing to provide explanations where questions arise over the use of public funds.
His comments come amid growing political debate over investigations by state agencies into former NPP appointees and the opposition party’s allegations that such investigations amount to political persecution and the selective use of state institutions.
The NPP has, in recent months, accused the government of targeting its members through investigations and prosecutions. The party staged its “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration in Accra on August 6, 2026, to protest what it described as selective justice and the alleged abuse of state institutions.
Several former NPP officials have also come under investigation in separate cases. Among them is former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD), Dennis “Miracles” Aboagye, who was arrested by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in July over alleged financial and procurement irregularities involving the committee.
EOCO said its investigation followed a petition and a forensic audit covering the period from August 2022 to February 2025.
The NPP has criticised the manner in which some of the investigations have been conducted, arguing that the government must ensure due process and avoid using law enforcement agencies to settle political scores. The party has maintained, however, that it is not opposed to accountability but rejects what it considers selective justice.
The government, on the other hand, has maintained that investigations into suspected financial crimes are part of its broader accountability and asset-recovery agenda. The administration’s policy framework places asset recovery and the investigation of alleged corruption and procurement-related offences at the centre of its anti-corruption efforts.
