十四世·托比·阿菲德阁下上周六（10月4日）在杜巴发表讲话 / Togbe Afede XIV Speaking at the Durbar last Saturday

加纳东部沃尔特地区的阿索格利王国领袖 （Agbogbomefia）十四世·托比·阿菲德阁下 （Togbe Afede XIV） 呼吁加纳人停止美化来历不明的财富，保持坚定立场，强烈抵制一切形式的腐败，坚持财富必须先于努力工作。

托比国王进一步敦促公民获得新爱国主义意识，拥抱诚实和努力工作精神，以恢复国家作为非洲黑星的形象。

托比国王上周六在王国首府霍城（Ho）在热闹非凡的杜巴（Durbar）活动上发表讲话时表示 ~~ “诚实和尊重真相对于国家进步至关重要!”

他在今年的丰收节（Te Za -Yam Festival） 庆祝活动上发表了主题为 “我们共同以诚实和目标，建设一个公正和繁荣的国家” 的演讲。

主宾是加纳副总统 Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang 教授。

资源丰富

托比国王重申，加纳拥有丰富的资源，使其能够成为一个富裕的国家，但这些资源已被一些不诚实的受过教育的精英和政客们挥霍太久了，那些被赋予保护国家职责的人宁愿选择榨干这个国家。

托比国王引用了被称为 “Galamsey” 的非法采矿，称这是腐败不已的结果，现在是加纳人采取不妥协立场，联合起来打击威胁的时候了！

托比国王提到最近一份健康报告，该报告称去年有 134 名加纳人自杀，这是腐败社会给他们带来抑郁症的结果。

宪法审查

托比国王呼吁对 1992 年宪法进行审查，通过迅速而严厉地惩罚罪犯来使腐败变得不具吸引力，并敦促 “获取全部战利品” 行动 （Operation Retrieve All Loot ）（ORAL） 团队成员不要懈怠地努力工作，揭露那些被查获的腐败行为幕后黑手，让他们面对法律严厉制裁，同时恳求政府将公职人员申报资产作为标志。

托比国王坚持认为，如果加纳领导人、酋长和人民珍惜真理，加纳将成为一片充满欢乐的土地。

阿瓦菲亚加

阿索格利王国的阿瓦菲亚加 （Awafiaga）：Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII，是霍多姆 （Ho-Dome） 的领袖 （Dufia），他敦促传统统治者在审判带到其宫殿的案件时保持公平和诚实，并补充说诚实是和平与进步的重要要求，并敦促政府在非法采矿席卷全国之前加倍努力打击非法采矿。

在此次盛大庆典活动中，出席者包括：阿法奥传统区域最高酋长 - 第五世托比·阿门亚·菲蒂（Togbi Amenya Fiti V）、加纳道路与交通部长：Governs Kwami Agbodza），以及沃尔塔地区部长 James Gunu。

来自霍城及周边地区的市、区行政长官，来自诺齐、多哥以及该国其他地区的官员和酋长，以及来自霍城传统区域及周边地区的各界人士纷纷出席了活动。

此外，出席的还有意大利大使 Laura Ranalli、其他外交使团成员，以及来自该国其他地区的负责人。

生活方式审核

加纳议会发言人 Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin 先生表示，议会将制定 “生活方式审查法”，以制止在社会中担任特权职位的个人滥用国家资源的行为。

今年 6 月，Bagbin 先生在议会与主要反腐败和问责机构接触时表示，颁布此类法律将阻止政府任命人员和公务员加纳炫耀不义之财的有罪不罚现象。

“同事们，这是一个决定性的时刻。随着全球公众对机构的信任度下降，透明和有效工作的能力，将决定公民是否把问责视为一种可能性，还是一个难以捉摸的问题。“ Bagbin 先生说。

加纳特别检察官办公室 （OSP） 目前的任务是进行生活方式审计，以找出腐败的公务员。

2023 年 2 月，特别检察官办公室指控四人，包括三名公务员和一名公务员，罪名是违反 LI2374 第 20 条，未能遵守和申报收入来源。一人在国家保险委员会工作，另一人在副总统办公室工作，另外两人是加纳税务局海关司高级官员。

最近，美国联邦调查局 （FBI） 对加纳的犯罪资助奢侈品进行了猛击，这再次引发了人们对新的尖锐法律制度的担忧，以解决无法解释的财富问题。

调查人员与加纳执法部门合作，发现了犯罪所得，从 “浪漫骗局” 到数百万美元的欺诈，这些收益已被洗钱到加纳，以支持奢华的生活方式。

最引人注目的案件之一涉及社交名媛兼音乐家 Mona Faiz Montrage，更广为人知的名字是 Hajia4Reall，她在美国承认在一场价值 200 万美元的浪漫骗局中串谋收受赃款后被判处一年监禁。

Stop Glorifying Corrupt Wealth - Togbe Afede Leads Moral Revival

The Agbogbomefia of Asogli, Togbe Afede XIV, has called on Ghanaians to stop glorifying wealth of dubious origins and rather maintain a firm stance to fiercely resist all forms of corruption, insisting that wealth must be preceded by hard work.

He further urged the citizenry to acquire a new sense of patriotism and embrace the spirits of honesty and hard work to restore the country’s image as the Black Star of Africa.

Addressing a packed durbar in Ho last Saturday, the Agbogbomefia said honesty and respect for the truth were crucial for the progress of the country.

He was speaking on the theme, “Together in honesty and purpose, we build a just and prosperous nation”, during the celebration of this year’s Te Za (Yam Festival).

The guest of honour was the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

Abundant resource

Togbe Afede reiterated that Ghana had abundant resources to enable it to become a wealthy nation, but those resources had been squandered by a few dishonest educated elite and politicians for far too long.

Those assigned the duty of protecting the country rather chose to milk the country dry, he said.

The Agbogbomefia cited illegal mining, known as galamsey, saying it was the result of unmitigated corruption, and that it was time Ghanaians assumed an uncompromising stance to team up and fight the menace.

Togbe Afede referred to a recent health report which said 134 Ghanaians committed suicide last year, saying that was the result of the depression wrecked on them by a corrupt society.

Constitutional review

Togbe Afede called for a review of the 1992 Constitution to make corruption unattractive by swiftly and severely punishing culprits.

The Agbogbomefia urged members of the Operation Retrieve All Loot (ORAL) team to work diligently without delay to expose those behind cited corrupt practices, and make them face the full rigours of the law, while entreating the government to make the declaration of assets by public officials a hallmark.

Togbe Afede maintained that Ghana would be a land of great joy if its leaders, chiefs and the people cherished the truth. 

Awafiaga

The Awafiaga of Asogli, Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII, who is the Dufia of Ho-Dome, urged traditional rulers to be fair and honest in judgments of cases brought to their palaces, adding that honesty was a vital requirement for peace and progress.

He urged the government to redouble its efforts against illegal mining before it engulfed the entire nation.

Among the large gathering at the durbar was the Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area, Togbi Amenya Fiti V, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwami Agbodza, and the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu.

The municipal and district chief executives from Ho and surrounding areas, chiefs from Notsie, Togo and elsewhere in the country, and a cross-section of people from the Ho traditional and surrounding areas showed up.

Also present were the Italian Ambassador, Laura Ranalli, other members of the diplomatic corps and chiefs from other parts of the country.

Lifestyle audit

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, said the House was ready to legislate a lifestyle audit act to end the abuse of state resources by individuals appointed into privileged positions in society.

Speaking during an engagement with key anti-corruption and accountability institutions in Parliament in June this year, he said enacting such a law would stop the impunity with which government appointees and public servants flaunted ill-gotten wealth in the country.

“Colleagues, this is a defining moment. As public trust in institutions wanes globally, our ability to work transparently and effectively will determine whether citizens see accountability as a real possibility or as an elusive problem,” the Speaker said.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) currently has the mandate to conduct lifestyle audits to fish out corrupt public servants.

In February 2023, the office charged four persons, made up of three public servants and a civil servant for failing to comply and declare sources of income in contravention of regulation 20 of LI2374.

One person works with the National Insurance Commission, another with the Office of the Vice-President, with two others being senior officers with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.

Recently, the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has swooped on crime-funded luxury in Ghana which has renewed concerns for a new biting legal regime to tackle unexplained wealth.

The investigators, working with Ghanaian law enforcement, came across proceeds from crime, ranging from romance scams to multimillion-dollar fraud, which had been laundered into the country to support lavish lifestyles.