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An advocate for the Center for Budget Advocacy, Mr. Daniel Anane has cautioned public officials to be careful with the power they wield since it serves as an entry point for corruption. �As District Chief Executives wield a lot of power at the local authority level, they are more prone to corruption because they fear no potential sanctions and are sometimes unaccountable to the assemblies,� he said. Speaking to The Mail on the guidelines for budget tracking in Ghana�s decentralized process in Accra, Mr Anane said demands for logistics from parties in power coax DCEs to look for illegal sources to provide such funds. He said since District Coordinating Direction (DCD) are appointed and controlled by the Head of the Civil Service and sometimes endorsed by the Regional Minister and the DCE, it reduces the control by the local assembly for fear of sanctions and finger pointing. On revenue collection, Mr. Anane said because collectors interact on a daily basis with traders, they can by acts of omission take monies without issuing receipts. He said sub-committees of the District Assemblies are involved in budget and financial monitoring as well as the award of contracts which gives them a lot of power in award of contracts and approval for payments. �In some cases, individual assembly members act as suppliers or front men for contractors without declaring their interests thereby creating an avenue for corruption,� he said the advocate said the mode of appointment of DCEs and MCEs makes it very difficult for them to refuse requests or even instructions from ministers of state and regional ministers. �They easily obey them for fear of losing their positions. Such people interfere in the award of contracts to family members, friends and party members,� he said. Mr. Anane said contractors and suppliers also tend to pay monies to local officials or use party affiliations to their advantage in the award of contracts. He however, underscored the role of civil society groups in demystifying the budget on how public funds are raised and spent.