The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has declared its plan to conduct lifestyle audits on celebrities and those who are thought to have excessive wealth.
This ruling comes after Ghanaian musician and social media personality Mona Montrage, better known online as Hajia4reall, entered a guilty plea in a $2 million romance scam case.
Concerns have been raised by the occurrence over Ghanaian authorities’ alleged incapacity to stop the spread of illicit gain.
Edward Cudjoe, the head of Administration and Investigations at EOCO, revealed that procedures were in place to start lifestyle audits for people with unexplained wealth in an appearance on JoyNews’ Upfront.
He emphasized EOCO’s intention to depart from the existing legislation, which mandates that an individual must be the focus of an investigation prior to being asked about the source of their riches.
“We are taking the initiative on our own, proposing specific changes to the law to bring it into compliance with international norms. This guarantees that any discrepancies in your financial profile are supported by your income. The onus of proving the source of those resources is on the individual, and any discrepancies must be explained to law authorities,” he stated.
Former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo warned that if lifestyle audits are not started right once, Ghana could fall prey to drug dealers’ influence.
In voicing his opinion, Domelevo emphasized worries regarding the sufficiency of the mechanisms in place, saying, “Our systems are not suited for purpose.The national interest or our general well-being must be taken into account while evaluating the case regarding invasion of privacy. We run the risk of sacrificing individual rights for the greater good if this is not resolved right away.
