A member of the National Communication Team of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kofi Ameyaw believes the Special Prosecutor-nominee, Kissi Agyebeng will succeed.
According to Mr. Ameyaw, the nominee has all it takes to succeed in office.
The Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, nominated the law lecturer and private legal practitioner as the replacement for Martin Amidu, who resigned from the position in November 2020.
Sharing his view on the nomination on Citi TV‘s Breakfast Daily on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, Mr. Ameyaw wished the nominee well.
He also urged him to be firm and fair to all manner of persons.
“I think he will be a good prosecutor, and I’m very optimistic about him. In this country it does matter one will definitely have an affiliation or a relation with someone one way or the other what matters is your zeal, enthusiasm, commitment to do what you’ve been called to do, and I believe that when he braces and wears that attitude he will succeed.”
“I don’t think it will be very difficult to do because he is aware of the field already in terms of public officials being corrupt, and he won’t be new to it.”
The nomination
Section 13(8) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) requires the President to appoint a person qualified for appointment as Special Prosecutor within six months of the Office becoming vacant.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has the mandate to investigate and prosecute all suspected corruption and corruption-related offences as pertaining to public officers, politically exposed persons and persons in the private sector alleged to have been involved in any corruption and corruption-related offences.
Apart from initiating investigations on its own, Act 959 gives the Office of the Special Prosecutor the power to receive and investigate complaints of alleged corruption from the public or investigate suspected corruption or corruption-related offences upon referral from public bodies such as the Attorney General’s Department, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Kissi Agyebeng was called to the Ghana Bar in October 2003 and holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Ghana, as well as, Master of Laws (LLM) degrees from Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada and Cornell Law School, USA.
He has, since 2006, been teaching Criminal Law at the University of Ghana, whilst engaging in private law practice.
