Domelevo at post despite Audit Board deeming him retired

The Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo has returned to work today, March 3, after his 167 days mandatory leave.

Mr. Domelevo, whose retirement age is also being challenged by the Audit Service Board, ended the leave he started on July 1, 2020, on Tuesday, March 2.  

While social media had been buzzing in anticipation of his return, things took an interesting turn yesterday when the Audit Service Board announced that the Auditor- General is deemed to have retired in 2020 due to some anomalies in his personal records.

In a series of letters between the Chairman of the Audit Service Board, Prof. Edward Dua Agyeman and Mr. Domelevo, the latter was asked to explain these anomalies or have some actions taken against him.

The Board alleged that records at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) provided by the Auditor-General indicated that his date of birth was 1960 when he joined the scheme on October 1, 1978.

Again the record also showed that the hometown of Mr. Domelevo is Agbetofe in Togo; making him non-Ghanaian but on October 25, 1993, some changes were made.

While the date of birth changed to June 1, 1961, the hometown of the Auditor-General was now Ada in the Greater Accra Region.

But explaining the purported anomalies, Mr. Domelevo said his grandfather was a native of Ada in the Greater Accra Region but migrated to Togo and stayed at Agbetofe.

On the issue of his date of birth, Mr. Domelevo said he noticed that 1960 was a mistake “when I checked my information in the baptismal register of the Catholic Church in Adeemmra.”

“I was born in Kumasi and my mother in less than three weeks after my birth, returned to Kwahu Adeemmra (with me) and I was baptized in June 1961,” Mr. Domelevo added.

However, the Audit Service Board in its latest document dated March 2, said the explanation given makes the “date of birth and Ghanaian nationality even more doubtful and clearly establishes that you have made false statements contrary to law.”

In view of this, the Audit Service Board said it deems Mr. Domelevo to have retired in 2020.

Chairman of the Board, Prof. Edward Dua Agyeman also said a copy of all documents on the issue will be sent to the President who is the appointing authority for the Auditor-General to take action.

But ahead of the response from the Presidency, JoyNews sources say the Auditor-General drove into his office premises around 8 am today to fully resume work.

Further checks at his office indicated that the place is still locked despite his return.

It must be noted that in July last year, the locks to the office of the Auditor-General was allegedly changed on the instruction of the Board.

This prevented Mr. Domelevo who had visited the place to retrieve some documents from accessing his office.

Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have taken to social media to demand clarity on the eligibility of the Audit Service Board.

This follows the dissolution of all statutory boards and corporations by President Akufo-Addo on January 12, 2021.

A statement signed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Fremah Opare Osei said statutory boards and corporations shall be reconstituted by the President or the relevant appointing authority in due course.

The Chief of Staff in a separate letter to metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives directed them to remain at post but barred them from taking any decision involving policy, financial commitment, recruitment and others. 

These directives according to her is in line with the presidential transition Act 845 section 14.