Former President John Dramani Mahama says Attorney General, Godfred Dame’s letter to the Auditor General over the audit report on COVID-19 expenditure was meant to silence him and create a conducive atmosphere for corruption to thrive.

The former President in a tweet said President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration “is not only indifferent in the fight against corruption but are collaborators.”

The Attorney General's letter to the Auditor General is clearly meant to silence him and create a conducive atmosphere for corruption to thrive. President @NAkufoAddo’s administration is not only indifferent in the fight against corruption – they are collaborators!

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) February 15, 2023

The Attorney General in a letter to the Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah-Asiedu described the publication of the audit report on government’s Covid-19 expenditure as premature and unconstitutional.

Godfred Dame argued that Article 187(5) of the Constitution mandates the Auditor General to submit his report to Parliament and in that report, draw attention to any irregularities in the accounts audited.

“I observe that the report of the special audit on the Government’s COVID-19 transactions has been published on the website of the Audit Service. In light of the constitutional provisions pertaining to the duty of the Auditor-General after the preparation of audit reports, I consider a publication of the COVID-19 audit report or indeed any audit report particularly when same has not been either considered by Parliament or referred to a committee of Parliament, premature,” the Attorney General said in the letter.

But several civil society organisations and the opposition National Democratic Congress took a swipe at the Attorney General over the letter.