The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has dismissed calls for the public disclosure of asset declarations by public officers, arguing that such a move would be counterproductive and could expose individuals to unnecessary risk.
Speaking at the High-Level Conference on Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture, held under the theme, “Revitalising the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey,” in Accra on Friday, June 6, he stated firmly that he does not support the idea of making declared assets available for public scrutiny.
“I do not and I will not add my voice to calls for the publication of assets for public scrutiny. In our experience, it will be unhelpful and would merely subject public officers to inordinate public curiosity and a specter of the real likelihood of reprisals against the assets,” he said.
The Special Prosecutor emphasised that instead of full public disclosure, what would strengthen the system is a transparent and functional framework that verifies asset declarations and ensures compliance.
“In my estimation, publication of who has declared or has not declared his assets in the context of a workable asset verification and treason model would be sufficient to assure the integrity of the asset declaration system,” he added.
His comments come amid growing public demand for increased transparency and accountability among public officials, particularly regarding wealth accumulation while in office. Civil society groups and anti-corruption campaigners have often advocated for the full publication of asset declarations to deter corruption and promote integrity.
However, Mr. Agyebeng insists that striking a balance between transparency and the protection of individual rights remains essential for an effective anti-corruption regime.
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