The case involving the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and eight (8) others including former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta commenced in court today, Thursday, December 11, following the filing of a 78-count indictment alleging corruption and financial loss to the state.
But that is not the main news as many Ghanaians especially those in the politicial space have been expecting for a while now.
What appears to be the interesting news is the storming of the Special Prosecutor, William Kissi Agyebeng at the at Criminal Court 5”.
Reports are rife that, the astute lawyer who has come under intense pressure in recent period for lack of results, was seen on Thursday leading his prosectors in the controversial trial.
The personal involvement of the SP has therefore raised eyebrows as in the past five years that he has been in-charge, he has ususaly left prosecution to the Office’s prosecutors. It is
While no reason has been assigned for today’s surprise involvement of the SP, many have said he may have done this due to the pressure on political heads to not only remove him but scrap the Office in totality.
Others contend he opted to lead the team becasuse of the high profile nature of the case.
For sometime now, some in the space including private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu have been calling for the head of Agyebeng.
A protest was held about two weeks ago calling for same. Agyebeng has been accused of incompetence and corruption claims. The calls heightened last week after Kpebu who has a case a civil case with the OSP was arrested and detained following verbal exchanges between him and an army officer stationed at the Office.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin as well as his predecessor, Prof Mike Ocquaye, under whose watch the Office came into being have added their voices to scrap it.
Two Members of Parliament (MP)s for the Bawku Central constituency and Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor have already initiated a draft bill targeting the collapse of the Office.
But the President disagrees with these positions saying the calls are premature.
Speaking to the issue during a meeting with the governing Council of the National Peace Council, he rejected the call saying the Office should be given more time to work and justify it establishment and role in the fight against corruption and corruption-related offences.
He noted that the OSP remains the only anti-corruption institution with the independent authority to initiate and prosecute cases without relying on the Attorney-General. This independence, he argued, is vital given the public perception that the Attorney-General—being part of the government—may be reluctant to prosecute political allies.
“People believe the Attorney-General will be very reluctant to prosecute his own,” he said. “But if there is an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are, because they have security of tenure and the prosecutorial authority to act.”
He emphasized that it is “too early” to judge the overall effectiveness of the OSP. He encouraged citizens to support the institution rather than undermine it.
He however urged the Office to do more to earn the trust of the public.
People want to see more prosecutions and more results. I will just urge the OSP to speed up some of these investigations and show that the office is still very relevant,” he stated.
Menwahile, the individuals on the SML trial are: Ernest Darko Akore, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah, Isaac Crenstil, Kwadwo Damoah, Evans Adusei, and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
Mr Ofori-Atta will be tried in absentia because he has not returned to Ghana from his trip to the United States.
- Ernest Akore, former Chef de Cabinet to the former Minister of Finance
- Emmanuel Kofi Nti, former Commissioner-General of the GRA
- Rev Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, former Commissioner-General of the GRA
- Isaac Crentsil, former Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA and General Manager for Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited
- Kwadwo Damoah, former Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA and Member of Parliament for Jaman South
Recall that at a press briefing on Thursday, October 30, following a comprehensive investigation, Kissi Agyebeng said the investigation uncovered evidence of serious financial irregularities involving top officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), as well as individuals connected to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
Gifty Boateng