The National Security last week submitted their investigations about the financial malfeasance leveled against the Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Alhaji Muhammed Muntaka Mubarak to President John Evans Atta Mills.

According to the report, the former Minister collected per diem allowance of GH¢2,000 for the Ghana-Benin match, which was authorized by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Albert Anthony Ampong. It was also established that Ms. Zinayela, the Secretary to the Majority Leader in Parliament, was part of the former Minister's entourage to the final of the CHAN tournament in Abidjan at the expense of the state.

As these offences have been identified, we at The Chronicle want the Mills-led administration to take punitive measures against the former Minister.

This would serve as a deterrent to public officials as well as leveraging corruption, thievery and other negative vices in the public service.

The Chronicle is unhappy with the President for just accepting a resignation letter from the former Minister without arraigning him before court.

By apologetically rendering a resignation letter to the President without damages and penalties means that the top echelons of government are beyond reproach, while the same law is always made to deal heavily with the downtrodden, if even for very small offences.

We once again register our disappointment with the manner in which the government handled the Muntaka saga. The government should have set up an independent body to investigate the case, instead of using the National Security. We should not be seen to be polarizing National Security.

The paper also finds it absurd that the Chief Director and the Principal Accountant of the Ministry rather seem to have come off worse at the expense of the Minister's extravagant spending. The report asked that they should be interdicted, while the Minister went away with a gentle pat on his back, that is, to resign from his position.

The punishment meted out to the two civil servants can discourage whistleblowers from volunteering useful information, for fear of being victimized.

During the 2008 electioneering campaign, then candidate Mills centered his message on change and fighting corruption, especially among the top stratum of society. The President's actions seem variant to fighting corruption in the country.