Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga Calls for Scrapping Of Special Prosecutor: “Look at The Budget”
- Majority Leader Hassan Ayariga has made a strong case for abolishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor
- Ayariga questioned the budget allocation effectiveness for the Special Prosecutor amid limited corruption case outcomes
- Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin also voiced concerns about the ineffective use of funds in the Office of the Special Prosecutor
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has called for the abolition of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Ayariga has argued that the Attorney-General’s Office should instead be empowered to prosecute corruption cases.
Source: Facebook
Speaking in Parliament on December 4, he also questioned the significant budgetary allocations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the limited outcomes.
“Look at the budget, why have we not been resourcing the Attorney General? After resourcing the OSP more than the Attorney General, [the special prosecutor] is still not delivering. I’m of a strong conviction that the OSP should be abolished, whether through a private members’ bill as advised by former Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye, or a call on the executive to expedite a bill that we will consider and approve by the House."
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, also raised strong concerns over the continuous allocation of large budgetary resources to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Bagbin felt that despite the initial goodwill that accompanied the establishment of the office, its performance has not matched the significant investment made.
“At the end of the day, we have seen the results, and we cannot continue to allocate those huge sums to the same office when we are not getting the results."
Special prosecutor under fire
The Office of the Special Prosecutor and its head, Kissi Agyepeng, 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.
Agyebeng is currently facing three petitions for his removal, which the president has forwarded to the Chief Justice.
Source: Facebook
Kpebu has consistently criticised Agyebeng over his handling of the corruption-related investigation involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Ofori-Atta is being investigated by the special prosecutor for five cases, including the state contract with Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as procurement processes and financial transactions linked to the National Cathedral project.
Kpebu feels that the special prosecutor has failed to be vigilant of the former minister, given the investigations, and accused him of sleeping on the job for allowing him to leave the country.
Oquaye slams OSP over Martin Kpebu's bail condition
YEN.com.gh reported that the former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, condemned the Office of the Special Prosecutor over the bail conditions imposed on Kpebu, which required a landed property.
He is concerned that bail conditions are currently being abused by the security agencies in Ghana.
He described the one imposed on Kpebu as a violation of human rights. Oquaye, who served as speaker from 2017 to 2021, questioned why suspects are required to justify their bail with landed property.
Source: YEN.com.gh
