Prez Fires Up Special Prosecutor!

…Urges Newly Sworn-In Board To Fight, Eliminate Corruption From Public Space

By Frank Amponsah

President Akufo Addo has commissioned the newly sworn-in governing body of the Office of the Special Prosecutor with a call on members to work and assist the Special Prosecutor  and his Deputy to achieve the statutory goal that Ghanaians expect of the office, which is to fight and eliminate corruption from the public space.

President Akufo Addo who was addressing the nine-member governing body after administering the official oath and the oath of secrecy, said even though it has taken a bit of time to fully constitute the entire Office of the Special Prosecutor to make it functional, it is better late than never.

He said the responsibilities placed on the OSP to ensure that the public life of Ghana is sanitized cannot be over emphasized, expressing the confidence that members of the Board would deliver and looks forward to assisting them with all his support to get their budget implemented.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, Linda Ofori Kwafo said she and her colleagues would do all within their power to abide by the provisions of Section 6(1) of the OSP Act 2017, (Act 959) as they go about performing their duties.

She averred that the Board was looking forward to discharging its functions to ensure that corruption is minimized in Ghana.

The Governing Body of the OSP include: the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, the Deputy Special Prosecutor, Cynthia Lamptey;  representative of the Audit Service, Addae Wireko-Tawiah; representative of the Police Service, Director of Police CID and Maame Tiwaa Addo Danquah; representative of the Economic and Organized Crime Office.

The rest are: Charles Nana Antwi; representative of the Financial Intelligence Centre, Kofi Boadi Boakye; representative of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative, Charles Ayamdoo. The others are the nominee of the Minister responsible for National Security, Kwaku Domfeh and the female representative of the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations, Linda Ofori-Kwafo.

The Special Prosecutor Act, 2017, (Act 959) Section five (5) provides that the Governing Body of the Office is a Board consisting of the Special Prosecutor, Deputy Special Prosecutor,  one representative of the Audit Service not below the rank of a Director nominated by the Auditor General, one representative of the Police Service not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police nominated by the Inspector General of Police,  one representative of the Economic and Organized Crime Office not below the rank of a Director nominated by the Executive Director,  one representative of the Financial Intelligence Centre not below the rank of a Director nominated by the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Intelligence Centre, one representative of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice not below the rank of a Director nominated by the Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice.

The others are one person with background in intelligence and not below the rank of a Director  nominated by the Minister responsible for National Security and one person who is a female representing the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations.