A former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansah-Asare, has branded Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng as a liability, and called for his resignation.
Wading into the Ken Ofori-Atta saga, Mr Ansah-Asare, a known critic of the Akufo-Addo government, said it is clear that the Special Prosecutor is being used for political purposes. “He has failed the nation. If I were in the shoes of the Special Prosecutor, I would be the first person, in good conscience, to resign,” he stated in an interview on Joy FM on Wednesday, February 12.
Kissi Agyebeng, at a news conference in Accra yesterday, declared the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta as a fugitive from justice in connection with financial loss to the state in five cases.
The cases
According to the Special Prosecutor, Ofori-Atta is wanted in connection with:
1. Revenue Assurance Contracts – His involvement in contractual agreements between Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority concerning revenue enhancement in the petroleum and mineral sectors.
2. Termination of an ECG Contract – The abrupt cancellation of a contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Beijing Yao Chain Technology for a project aimed at reducing distribution losses and improving the national grid.
3. National Cathedral Expenditures – The procurement of contractors, materials, and financial transactions linked to the controversial National Cathedral project.
4. Ambulance Procurement Deal – The awarding of a contract by the Ministry of Health, originally handled by the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, to service Ghana Auto Group Limited for the supply and maintenance of ambulances for the National Ambulance Service.
5. Tax Refund Account Usage – The alleged improper utilization of funds from the Ghana Revenue Authority’s tax refund account.
Actions reprehensible
Describing Mr Agyebeng’s recent actions as reprehensible, the former Director of the Ghana School of Law fired at the Special Prosecutor saying he lacks the independence to make decisions on his own.
“Somebody is using him. We should stop this kind of politics. Who influences people in this country? Is it not those at the helm of affairs?”
He rubbished the OSP’s decision to declare the former Finance Minister a fugitive, stating that the move contradicts the fundamental principles of the criminal justice system. “We know where the former Finance Minister is. You should invite him civilly and go about it in a more civilized manner, rather than turning it into a media spectacle.”
“By himself, the Special Prosecutor would not do what he has done. He is spineless. He knows that until a person’s guilt is proven, he is innocent. An innocent person cannot be declared a wanted citizen running away from justice and be hounded out and brought back to Ghana in handcuffs.”
