The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has served notice to public officials and other influential individuals of society that his office will not give them preferential treatment when they come under investigation.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is currently after officials alleged to have engaged in illegal mining or associated with the menace. It is investigating over 120 cases related to corruption and corruption-related offences in the mining and other sectors of society.
The OSP has expanded its investigation into the activities and expenditure of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee Against Illegal Mining (IMCIM) by interrogating more officials.
“Every single person is going to appear before us,” Agyebeng said. “We’ve spoken to several people since October 2022.”
“No one is a saint to us. We do not consecrate saints,” the Special Prosecutor said in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM on Saturday (10 June). “I don’t have that luxury to treat people as saints. We look at everybody in the same manner.”
According to him, “everyone who was an officer of the IMCIM is my target.”
“In the estimation of the office there are no saints or heroes,” Agyebeng reiterated. “If we do that we’ll lose the fight against corruption.”
What has happened so far?
The Office of the Special Prosecutor recently questioned the immediate past minister of environment, science, technology and innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, in connection with missing excavators and his leaked report on illegal mining to the Chief of Staff.
According to Asaase News sources, the former chairman of the IMCIM appeared before the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, three weeks ago and was asked to give a caution statement concerning the issue.
The OSP has also questioned Horace Ekow Ewusi, the immediate past first vice-chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central Region, and Seth Mantey, a journalist with Accra-based Peace FM, as part of the ongoing probe.
Their involvement in the IMCIM’s activities and expenditure is being scrutinised in light of the bombshell report submitted by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng to the Presidency.
Further investigations by the OSP are expected to involve more individuals who were mentioned in the report.
In a related development, Charles Bissue, the former secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has taken legal action to prevent the OSP from prosecuting him.
Bissue filed a writ at the High Court in Accra on Thursday, June 8, seeking to halt the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption within the IMCIM, particularly concerning Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng.
The lawsuit filed by Bissue is the latest development in the high-profile investigation, which has garnered significant attention in Ghana. The OSP is determined to thoroughly examine the allegations and ensure that all individuals involved in any wrongdoing are held accountable.
