Ghana Does Not Need A Special Prosecutor To Fight Corruption - Lecturer
A lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Mr. Amakye Boateng says Ghana does not need a Special Prosecutor to fight corruption.
According to him, politicians have failed to prosecute their own when it comes to the fight against corruption.
Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he thus referred to the appointment as a witch hunting exercise initiated by the President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He explained that the office of the Attorney General over the years has the power to prosecute a corrupt government official which they have woefully failed to execute, so the office of the Special Prosecutor is not bringing anything new.
President Akufo-Addo has announced Mr. Martin Amidu as the first Special Prosecutor.
As part of his election 2016 campaign promises, President Akufo-Addo stated his administration will set up an office of an independent Special Prosecutor to deal with corruption cases in the country.
The New Patriotic Party in the election manifesto said, the office will “be independent of the Executive, to investigate and prosecute certain categories of cases and allegations of corruption and other criminal wrongdoing, including those involving alleged violations of the Public Procurement Act and cases implicating political officeholders and politicians.”
Following his assumption of office, he has reiterated his commitment to set up the office and nominate someone to occupy it.
Bill Passed
On Tuesday, November 14th, 2017, Parliament finally passed the Special Prosecutor's Bill at a marathon sitting amidst controversy over whether the prospective Special Prosecutor should be immuned from prosecution.
The government was racing against time to have the bill passed ahead of the reading of the 2018 Budget statement which has been scheduled for the next day Wednesday.
Over 30 ammendments were made to the Bill that gives power to the new independent prosecutor tasked with the responsibility of prosecuting past and present public officers deemed to have been corrupt.
Chief among the controversial amendments is the decision to free the independent prosecutor from any form of prosecution.
President Assents Bill
Then barely 48hours into the new year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo gave a Presidential Assent to the Office of Special Prosecutor Bill, and four other bills key on the agenda of his administration.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill, the Zongo Development Fund Bill, and the bills that seek to establish three development authorities received legislative approval last year and will pave the way for the President to fulfill certain promises upon which he was elected into office.
President Akufo-Addo told reporters at the Presidency yesterday that the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor was an important step in the government’s determination to root out corruption from public offices.
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