The Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption and Co-Chairman of the Citizen Movement Against Corruption, Edem Senanu has emphasized the need for the Attorney General and other investigative bodies to verify whether former public office holders filed their final asset declarations after leaving office.
He says such declarations, if properly completed, could provide crucial clues to aid investigations into unexplained wealth and corruption in Ghana.
Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution mandates that public officers submit asset declarations to the Auditor-General not only before taking office and at the end of every four years, but also at the end of their term.
However, recent corruption reports, particularly those contained in the ORAL report, have led many Ghanaians to doubt that this provision is being duly followed.
One such case is the ongoing investigation into the former boss of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab. During a press briefing on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the Attorney-General listed properties belonging to Mr. Abdul-Wahab and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, which the office suspects are proceeds of crime.
Speaking in an interview on Orokodo Kasaebo on Connect 97.1 FM (a Media General radio station based in Takoradi), Mr. Senanu expressed doubt that this constitutional obligation is being enforced by the agency responsible. He argued that state agencies could use the final declarations made by public office holders to validate suspicions of corruption, thereby supporting investigations and prosecutions.
“…are they captured in the final exit asset declaration?” Senanu asked. “To the extent that those who are mandated to look at the data could have had the opportunity to say: from the point you came in, to the point of exit, what you have far exceeds what you earn, and therefore raises a red flag.
“We would probably find out that didn’t happen. It may even be the case that many of those who just exited government have still not filed their final asset declaration. To that extent, therefore, we can conclude, as you are suggesting, that the mechanism is not as effective as it ought to be.”
Commenting further, Mr. Senanu stated that more robust measures are needed.
“So, we need to look at what will compel somebody exiting at the end of a tenure to file it, and to file it accurately. Perhaps there should be a secretariat with a specific mandate that has the responsibility to let us know when exiting persons have completed their declarations or have chosen not to. That would then allow the relevant agencies to follow up,” he said.
