‘My removal from office was timely, the environment was so toxic’

‘My removal from office was timely, the environment was so toxic’ – Domelevo

Former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo says as unfortunate as the circumstances leading to his removal from office by President Akufo-Addo are, it was “timely”.

Speaking on Upfront on Wednesday, Mr Domelevo explained that he was happy with the decision to remove him because the working environment at the time was “toxic.”

“When I was asked to leave office, I felt very good. To me it was timely because to be very honest, I found the environment to be so toxic that it was not worth working in such an environment. So when they said leave, I was just thankful to God and I left,” he said in the interview with Raymond Acquah.

Mr Domelevo, however, declined to comment on whether he was hounded out of the office.

He stated that he does not bear any grudge against President Akufo-Addo or his government because of how he was made to leave office.

“I have nothing against the government and his appointees. I was just doing my job and a time came they said stop and go and I left. So that is it.

“So there is no bad feeling at all, that’s why some people could not understand me when I went to Christ the King to thank God that I have done what I am supposed to do.

“So no bad feelings at all. Some people think I should have some ill feelings against the government, I don’t,” he stated.

President Akufo-Addo in March last year asked the then Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo to proceed on retirement after he had just returned from a 167-day forced leave.

In a letter signed by Nana Asante Bediatuo, the Secretary to the President said “The attention of the President of the Republic has been drawn to records and documents made available to this Office by the Audit Service, that indicate that your date of birth is June 1, 1960, and that in accordance with article 199 (1) of the Constitution, your date of retirement as Auditor-General was June 1, 2020,” the letter said.

By extension, therefore, “the President is of the view that you have formally left office.”

It added that Johnson Akuamoa-Asiedu will continue to act as Auditor-General until the President appoints a substantive head.

However, President Akufo-Addo later in May last year reiterated that the former Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo was not hounded out of office.

According to him, Mr Domelevo’s removal was due to his attainment of the national retirement age of 60.

“There’s a time for retiring which is prescribed by statute, not my making. If you are 60 years old you’re supposed no longer to be able to work in the public service,” he said.