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Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has described the address delivered by President of the Central University College (CUC), Prof Kwesi Yankah, imputing corruption charges against the Presidency as "somebody sitting at a chop bar, under a palm tree drinking palm wine" interacting with colleagues.

Koku rubbished the corruption claims leveled against the government and insisted the learned Professor's statements are baseless.

“Now he is speaking like somebody sitting at a chop bar, under a palm tree drinking palm wine and because people are talking of corruption, he is also trying to say some…and without any evidence firing salvos at the President…” he said on Accra-based Oman FM.

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), on Tuesday, organised a seminar to engage the public on corruption. It was to among other things recommend possible ways of "strengthening anti-corruption institutions and to give them teeth to bite".

Various speakers at the function, not excluding the Executive Director of the IEA, Mrs. Jean Mensa expressed worry about government's effortless to sanction public officials who are fingered in corrupt dealings.

She indicted government on its lackadaisical approach to the fight against corruption, which to her, has urged corrupt public officials to adopt a “let them say; after a week they will get tired” attitude.

The Lead Speaker at the Corruption conference, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, on his part said “transfer or promotion of bad nuts to the presidency rather than their demotion or indictment tends to defile the dignity of the presidency”.

A recent IEA finding ranked the presidency as the second most corrupt institution in Ghana; and the CUC President held that the IEA survey is indicative of the “fish getting rotten from the head” and something must be done about it.

To him, President Mahama must be held responsible for corruption since he “wields so much constitutional power and is responsible for key appointees” in the country.

He emphasized that the president has “squandered opportunities to prosecute presidential appointees suspected of embezzling public funds but who have been merely transferred to other portfolios as if with the aim of enabling a quicker spread of the virus."

“When government appointees are cited for embezzlement or corruption, no machine is set in motion for investigation, prosecution and indictment” the professor cried out; adding that former Sports Minister, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, who is believed to have performed abysmally during the 2014 World Cup, now finds himself among the presidential staff at the Flagstaff House.

But the former Communications Director at the Presidency wondered how a learned professor could bandy about allegations without facts.