Politicians lead extravagant lifestyles, not celebrities – Okyeame Kwame
Okyeame Kwame
The multi-award winning musician Okyeame Kwame has dispelled the myth that famous Ghanaians lead opulent lives.
The musician claims that politicians are the ones who have demonstrated extravagant lifestyles.
His remarks come in response to the Economic and Organised Crime Office’s (EOCO) announcement that it would begin lifestyle audits aimed at celebrities and people who might be considered to have excessive wealth.
Conversely, the “Yeeko” hitmaker claimed that celebrities experience financial hardships because their incomes are insufficient to support their lavish lifestyles.
“I have been in the celebrity space for 20 something years, I do not think they will find any artiste who are “criminals” or many celebs and film makers because these people are suffering. It is very difficult to be in this industry as an influencer or artiste and then just by that be able to survive. I have not seen celebrities in Ferraris or Maybachs or Porsche cars or multimillion dollar mansions. Where are they? Show me one.
Read more: BREAKING: Hajia 4Reall pleads guilty to a romance scam in U.S court
“However, the people that I have seen living lavishly are politicians. I have seen civil servants who make maybe ₵14000 a month and driving S-class,” he told Berla Mundi on TV3’s New Day on Monday.
He clarified that their occasional vacation outside of Ghana is solely funded by their savings.
Instead, Okyeame Kwame urged EOCO to concentrate more on politicians who are most likely to be affected by its proposed plan to combat corruption in the nation.
“They are going to start investigating celebrities and in less than 30 days, they will be done because it is obvious that there are no or very few celebrities who are enjoying unwarranted wealth,” he noted.
The musician expressed his excitement, nevertheless, at EOCO’s decision to protect integrity across the nation.
The decision by EOCO follows the recent guilty plea in a $2 million romance scam case made by Ghanaian musician and social media influencer Mona Montrage, also known as Hajia4reall.
“We are leading the charge by ourselves, making certain proposals for the amendment of the law to align with international standards. This ensures that any gaps in your financial profile are substantiated by your earnings.
“Any disparities must be clarified to law enforcement, and the burden of proof rests on the individual to explain the origin of those resources,” the head of Administration and Investigations at EOCO, Edward Cudjoe disclosed to JoyNews in an interview.
It is anticipated that EOCO’s new approach will address the nation’s growing issue of unexplained enrichment and illicit wealth-making ventures.