Kissi Agyebeng, Special Prosecutor
Economic and all other crimes are major setbacks to any effort at economic growth and social development in any civilised society. That is a fact because criminals use shortcuts to success and, in the process, make a mockery of the processes, while discouraging sincere and patriotic citizens from contributing their quota towards development.
The critical need for sustained fight against corruption in our dear nation is manifest in the commissions of inquiry we have set up since the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. But that is also highlighted in how we shot six Generals in unholy anger, only to find out later that we were too rash in killing them and that envy and other considerations were more to blame than corruption.
As we would witness, the Provisional National Defence Council, the ‘holiest’ of all our governments, would itself get tainted over corruption by 2000, such that some of its key appointees would be nailed in the corruption noise it had leaned on to hound and jail innocent citizens, including diligent industrialists.
Thank God, however, that by the time we had created the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the real thieves were emerging from within.
Special Prosecutor
It is, perhaps, against that background that we felt that we needed an independent body with an independent-minded professional to ignite a system that political appointees and senior public service personnel would ‘respect’ in serving the nation and diligently managing its resources.
So, we were glad to have that personality except that he had a problem with the Executive, compelling us to delay corruption trials – though the few that we began showed that the system was still leaky and the perpetrators defiant.
Whatever the initial hiccups were, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, headed by Kissi Agyebeng, has kicked off with 45 cases about to roll.
Antecedence
But there are reasons why we should hope for the best, including the fact that our records show that our court system is about the best in the Commonwealth, unafraid of Executive influence, even in the days of Kwame Nkrumah, KA Busia and Jerry Rawlings, when certain delicate trials went against the Executive.
That is also aside of a recent case involving Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga going against the state under the Special Prosecutor.
Exposing crime
The cases, we are told, range from procurement breaches and pure theft by public officers to political appointees and ordinary businesspeople. Now, that is enough to debunk the ugly noises about the Executive targeting ‘opposition’ politicians, businesspeople and NDC activists.
As we support the SP in carrying the delicate mandate on our behalf, it is the hope of the Daily Statesman that the complaints the ex-SP made about Chief Directors and other senior public officials playing hide and seek with the OSP over public documents will be dealt with.
Shielding criminals is a crime heads of institutions must not be seen committing, if we truly care about corruption being a collective fight we must be concerned with.
While we wait with bated breath for the cases to start rolling, we would also encourage colleague journalists and media organisations, as well as our lawyers who are wrongly invading the civil society space, to be guided more by objectivity and professionalism in discussing issues.
We must remember that we have a collective duty to protect the state purse, and also prevent criminals from pinching our collective heritage in the name of politics.
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