Story: News Desk
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has rejected calls for the dissolution of his office, asserting that these demands lack substance and fail to consider the actual performance of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Mr Agyebeng argued that upon careful examination, it was evident that the calls to abolish the OSP were baseless and lacked supporting evidence.
During a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, January 30, the Special Prosecutor encouraged critics to be patient with the OSP, expressing optimism that the six-year old office would effectively contribute to the country’s anti-corruption efforts.
“We hear calls, a lot of the time from very high places, that the OSP should be scrapped and that it serves no useful purpose. On another score, there have been and there are attempts to discredit the office and its principal officers unfairly and unjustly, alongside formidable resistance and pushback.”
“A careful examination of the reasons for the calls to do away with the OSP suggests that they were made without reference to the actual performance of the office in the six years of existence and that the calls are borne out of many of the teething challenges confronting the establishment of the office,” he said.
Numerous individuals have raised concerns about the OSP, asserting that it duplicates the functions of the Attorney General and other investigative bodies.
Dr. Michael Ayamga Adongo, an Economist at UDS, is among those who criticise the OSP, contending that it undermines the fight against corruption and related offences.
However, there are opposing views also, with former legislator Inusah Fusieni dismissing these criticisms and even condemning attempts to downplay the significance of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in the anti-corruption efforts.