Mahama Fights for Special Prosecutor, Requests Ayariga Withdraw Bill to Abolish Office
- President John Dramani Mahama has again leapt to the defence of the Office of the Special Prosecutor
- Mahama urged Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor to suspend their legislative push to scrap the office
- The Office of the Special Prosecutor has been accused of not justifying its existence because of limited outcomes
President John Mahama has requested the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, and the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, to suspend their move to introduce a Private Members’ Bill seeking to abolish the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
The president’s request follows his public expression of support for the strengthening of the Office of Special Prosecutor.
Source: Facebook
The presidency in the statement said:
"President John Dramani Mahama has requested the Majority Leader and Majority Chief Whip in Parliament to withdraw the Private Member’s Bill tabled for the repeal of the Act establishing The Office of Special Prosecutor."
"The President’s request follows his public expression of support for the strengthening of The Office of Special Prosecutor as a vital cog in the fight against corruption at a meeting with the Peace Council yesterday."
Before this request, however, the president had already stated that it was premature to shut down the office, insisting that it must be given time to deliver on its mandate.
Speaking during a meeting with the National Peace Council on November 10, Mahama stressed that dismantling the Office of the Special Prosecutor at this stage would be hasty and counterproductive while appealing to the office to accelerate its investigations.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor was established in 2017 as a specialised independent body to focus on corruption and corruption-related offences.
Aside from Ayariga, Sam Okudzeto, a former Ghana Bar Association president, also called for the scrapping of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, saying it has failed to curb corruption.
Ayariga's argument for scrapping Special Prosecutor's office
Ayariga, in his motion, held that Article 88 of the Constitution vests the power to institute, conduct and discontinue criminal proceedings in the Attorney-General.
He has noted that the Office of the Special Prosecutor has revealed persistent challenges, including the duplication of constitutional prosecutorial functions of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Attorney-General, institutional friction and jurisdictional overlap resulting in delays and inefficiencies.
Ayariga is also concerned about the high operational costs of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Special prosecutor under fire from Martin Kpebu
The Office of the Special Prosecutor and its head, Kissi Agyebeng, have been under intense scrutiny for a variety of reasons.
Most recently, it faced criticism after detaining lawyer and activist Martin Kpebu on December 3.
Kpebu has reiterated his resolve to petition President John Mahama to remove Agyebeng from Office.
Source: Facebook
Agyebeng is currently facing three petitions for his removal, which the president has forwarded to the Chief Justice.
Kpebu has consistently criticised Agyebeng over his handling of the corruption-related investigation involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Alleged attempt on Agyebeng's life
YEN.com.gh reported that the Ministry of the Interior ordered an investigation into alleged assassination attempts on Agyebeng.
This was after claims made by the Director of Strategy, Research, and Communications at the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Samuel Appiah Darko.
According to him, Agyebeng has survived two separate assassination attempts while carrying out his duties.
Source: YEN.com.gh
