Prez Inaugurates Special Prosecutor Board Today

The Governing Board of the Office of the Special Prosecutor will be inaugurated by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the Presidency today.

The law that set up the Office of the Special Prosecutor outlined some administrative processes, including the establishment of a governing board, that need to be all secured before the office could be fully functional

Making this known at the commemoration of the African Union (AU) Day Against Corruption in Accra on Wednesday, a Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Samuel Jinapor, said the board had to be independent but at the same time representative of all the partners in the sector.

The commemoration of the day was organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), in collaboration with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) and Pensplusbyte, a non-governmental entity focused on the training of journalists.

 Responding to a question regarding the commitment of the government to fund the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Mr Jinapor said the government had to go through all the processes to satisfy the law setting up the office.

All involved

Delivering the keynote address on the theme: “Winning fight against corruption: A sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”, Mr Jinapor said it was refreshing that the AU was focusing on corruption and that African countries had a dedicated day to focus on the fight.

He said leadership counted in the fight and submitted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had demonstrated such leadership and integrity throughout his public life.

He said leadership, however important, was not enough in the fight because leaders could not be everywhere at every time and so the concerted effort of all was also paramount if we were to win the fight.

He said the government would continue with its initiatives in the fight against corruption, while supporting the AU in its programmes on the agenda.

Letter

The Executive Director of the GII, Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, read a letter from Transparency International (TI) which, among other demands, urged the AU to ensure that the 38 states out of 55 that had ratified the AU Convention on the Prevention of Corruption reported on their progress.

Among other recommendations, the letter urged the AU to pay close attention to procurement practices on the continent.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo announced a year-long range of activities in commemoration of the day that would include an essay competition for students.