Former Auditor General, Daniel Yao Domelevo has cautioned government officials to refrain from interfering in the work of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Instead, Mr. Domelevo urged President Akufo-Addo to support the OSP and ensure it fulfills its mandate.
Recently, the Special Prosecutor survived a petition for his removal from office.
During the 2024 edition of the Domelevo Accountability Lectures, the former Auditor General said despite his initial disapproval of the OSP, it is essential to support the office in its fight against corruption.
He acknowledged working closely with the first Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to help establish the OSP’s success.
Mr. Domelevo stressed the importance of providing the necessary support to the institution to effectively combat corruption.
However, he expressed concern about how the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, is facing significant challenges which is hindering his work.
He called on government officials to protect Agyebeng and allow him to perform his duties, noting that he seems to be the only person genuinely committed to fighting corruption.
“Institutional and legal frameworks are not enough to effectively combat corruption, and that is the state in which we have found ourselves here in Ghana. After establishing the institutions, we must give them the oxygen to breathe.”
“Let me be very honest with you. I was in office as Auditor General when the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill was put together, and I was not enthused at all about it, but the bill was passed, and I said to myself, well, even though in principle I don’t support it, if this is what it would take for us to win the war against corruption, why not? So those of you who followed events, I was working closely with Honorable Martin Amidu. Unfortunately, he was barred out of office, out of pressure, and we are all aware of what happened.”
“Then comes the young man, Kissi Agyebeng, and the young man is facing troubles and challenges like nobody’s business. So I said, the one who put him there, don’t you know that you have to protect this guy? You should be calling people and saying, shut up, back off, let him do his work.
“So please, government officials and people in government, leave the special prosecutor alone. He seems to be the only person serious about corruption today, from my point of view. So let’s give him the oxygen for him to be able to do his work.”
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