Let’s make Ghana’s leaders explain their unexplained wealth. Here’s how (African Arguments)

Last year saw the first successful use of Unexplained Wealth Orders by the U.K's National Crime Authority. Ghana's Office of the Special Prosecutor plans to introduce similar laws in Ghana this year. In this article for African Arguments, I explore how Unexplained Wealth Orders can accelerate Ghana's fight against corruption

Despite being perceived to be one of Africa’s less corrupt nations, Ghana faces an uphill battle in the fight against graft. The country loses about $3 billion to corruption each year, while both its main political parties – the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) – have been implicated in major scandals while in office. The country has long struggled to deal with high-level corruption.

A new measure proposed by Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu this January, however, could change the playing field. He called on Ghana to adopt Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs), a measure that would place the burden of proof on individuals to explain the sources of their wealth. Those who cannot do so satisfactorily would face prosecution.

Read more here.