President John Dramani Mahama has sanctioned political appointees in his government who missed the March 31, deadline to declare their assets, ordering that they forfeit three months’ salary as a penalty.

The President, citing a report from the Auditor General, said some officials failed to comply with his earlier directive, despite clear instructions and a set timeline.

The forfeited salaries, he announced, will be channelled into the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

“On 18th of February 2025, I set a deadline of 31st March for all appointees who are taking office or being nominated at the time to declare assets. An update provided by the Auditor General to my office indicates that some of you failed to meet that deadline,” the President stated.

He added: “For all those who were appointed or nominated before 31st March 2025 and failed to meet the deadline, you are forfeiting three months of salary to be donated to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund named after me, Mahama Cares.”

This deduction comes on top of an earlier instruction requiring all appointees to contribute one month’s salary to the fund.

“In addition to one month’s salary that I have asked all appointees to donate to the Mahama Cares Trust Fund. So it means that those who omitted to declare their assets by the date, you are paying four months’ salary to Mahama Cares,” he explained.

President Mahama also issued a final warning, stating that any official who fails to meet the new asset declaration deadline of May 7, will face dismissal from office.

A report by The Fourth Estate revealed that several high-ranking officials have yet to fulfil the constitutional obligation. Out of 55 ministers and deputy ministers, nine have failed to declare their assets. Additionally, eight out of 32 presidential staffers and 37 out of 84 heads of state institutions appointed between January 15 and March 18 have not complied with the President’s directive.

President Mahama had earlier submitted his asset declaration forms to the Auditor General on February 18 and issued a firm order to his appointees to follow suit by March, warning of sanctions for defaulters.

The legal framework guiding asset declaration is the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550). The Act mandates public officials to declare their assets before assuming office, every four years, and at the end of their term—submitting the forms no later than six months after any of these events.

Importantly, Section 8 of the Act provides that allegations of non-compliance must be referred to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), which is empowered to investigate and take appropriate action.