President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has sworn into office, the second occupant of the Office of Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng and expressed optimism that the new Special Prosecutor (SP) will succeed.
Citing the SP’s extensive educational and professional legal background at the swearing in ceremony at Jubilee House yesterday, the President said “it is clear that Mr. Kissi Agyebeng is eminently qualified to occupy the Office of Special Prosecutor. He has the capacity, the experience, the requisite values and intellectual strength to succeed in this vital position”.
He congratulated the SP on his appointment and pointed out that the “wide acceptance of his nomination by the Ghanaian people, and the nature of his performance during Parliament’s approval process are, for me, indications that the confidence I reposed in him, to discharge one of the most critical functions of State, was not misplaced”.
Among the dignitaries at the event were Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Godfred Yeboah Dame and MP for Mpraeso Mr Davis Opoku Ansah.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated that the creation of the Office of Special Prosecutor was borne out of the commitment to fashion an additional instrument to fight the canker of corruption.
“The genuineness of that commitment to create an independent, non-partisan body with the relevant professional capability, to lead the fight, and hold public officials, past and present, accountable for their stewardship of public finances, was made manifest in the appointment of a very senior figure from the opposite side of the political divide to establish and head this very significant Office.
“This appointment, as you would all recall, was met with stiff opposition by some members from both sides of the aisle,” he reiterated.
He added that “In spite of the unfortunate events that led to the departure of the first occupant of the Office, I do not regret making that appointment. On my part as President of the Republic, I ensured that the Office was adequately resourced to enable it carry out its mandate. I am, however, consoled by the oft-cited statement that there is no use crying over spilt milk”.
Accordingly, President Akufo-Addo indicated that when the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, on 16th April 2021, moved to nominate Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, under section 13(3) of Act 959, for consideration as the second occupant of the Office of Special Prosecutor, he had little hesitation in accepting the nomination.
He has therefore urged Mr. Kissi Agyebeng to bear in mind at all times that the Office carries an extraordinary responsibility to fight corruption independently and impartially, describing the remit of the Office as broad and challenging.
“I want to assure Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, like I did his predecessor, that not only will the Executive, including the Attorney General, respect scrupulously the independence of his Office, but will also provide him with whatever assistance is required to enable him discharge his high duties effectively, in the interest of the Ghanaian people. Indeed, all institutions of state will work and co-operate with him in the same spirit, which he articulated at his approval proceedings in Parliament,” President Akufo-Addo assured.
Whilst acknowledging that the activities of the Office of Special Prosecutor, no matter how vigorous, cannot provide the entire panacea to the problem of corruption, the President urged other institutions of State to co-operate with the new Special Prosecutor.
“Government will continue to give stronger budgetary assistance to the other constitutionally mandated institutions that hold government accountable, and help fight corruption, i.e., the Auditor General, Parliament, Judiciary, the Police Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO),” he added.
Suppression of corruption
On his part, Mr Kissi Agyebeng, has promised to work hard to ensure that corruption in Ghana, which he likened to a pandemic, is suppressed.
“I come into this office and pledge to the people of Ghana as I said exactly two weeks ago, that I am going to work assiduously with deliberation to suppress and repress corruption,” Mr Agyebeng said after he was sworn into office by President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.
Mandate of OSP
Act 959, which establishes the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), spells out three main objectives of the Office, namely: investigate and prosecute alleged corruption or suspected corruption and corruption related offences, recover the proceeds of corruption and corruption related offences, and take steps to prevent corruption.
