The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng has dispelled speculations that there may be bad blood between him and the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine.
According to the SP, as far as he knows, there is absolutely no issues between him and the AG indicating that they are both fighting the course of Ghana and so they have no choice but work together.
“We are in full collaboration with the Attorney General’s Department. We cannot work against each other. We are working for the same course which is the course of the Republic of Ghana. And we cannot be at loggerheads, we cannot be in dispute”, he said.
He continued “Sometimes, personalities and how one wants to do something may clash a bit but that should not be taken as dispute or disagreement”.
Speaking at a press briefing from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in Accra, the seasoned lawyer disclosed his many years of knowing the AG delving into their personal and working relationships.
He said he has had a cordial relationship with Dr Ayine from the classroom to private law practice.
He indicated that aside teaching him as a law student at the University of Ghana, he also worked under the AG while practicing as a private lawyer revealing they built law firm together.
“Many of you do not know my relationship with the Attorney General. He is like a big brother to me. He taught me at Legon and he also as part of my training indeed we formed a firm together and indeed I was like his foreman even when he was putting up his first building in Accra. This is our relationship. The relationship is such that because he trained me and he taught me, I have a bit of him in me but he doesn’t have a bit of me in him. And so sometimes, my display of his bit in me stirs him up a bit”.
The SP promised a continuous collaboration with the Minister stressing commitment to come out with the best of results.
“But at the end of the day, just as we were doing in private practice, we will bigger at home but our product when we finally churn out will be most robust and most fruitful and this is our promise to Ghana.
We are working together, we cannot but work together we are going to work together in full collaboration to see to the end of this matter”, he said in conclusion.
Few weeks ago, there were reports that the Office was dragging its feet in the plan to extradite former Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta, who is being investigated for his stewardship.
The former minister for almost eight years is under investigation for three major cases including the payments of funds for the stalled over $90 million national cathedral project and his role in the contract between private firm Strategic Mobilization Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on behalf of the state.
Following his refusal to return to Ghana williningly, the OSP had written to the government for support to bring the form minister back into the country. This was after he was declared a wanted man running from justice.
The OSP was directed to engage the AG who subsequently demanded the docket of the minister and prosecutors.
Even though the OSP provided the details of the prosecutors, the docket was not released to the AG after a reminder was sent to the anti-graft body.
Correspondents between the two bodies were later leaked leading to speculation that, there may be bad blood between them which the SP has today shot down.
The OSP has explained that the information being sought had to delay because there were new development concerning the SML case forcing them to hold on to the information the AG was asking for.
Meanwhile, the press conference centered on the OSP’s investigations into the contract of private firm SML and the involvement of the former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to the SP the Office has completed its investigations and has secured the necessary information needed to go ahead with the prosecution of all the individuals implicated. He said by the end of November, they will go ahead and charge the individuals whether the former minister is brought into the country or not.
By Gifty Boateng