The Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Searchlight, Kenneth Kwabena Agyei Kuranchie, has petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo to remove Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng from office.
The former New Patriotic Party (NPP) member has alleged serious breaches of conduct, including violations of his oaths of office and secrecy.
This was outlined in a letter dated October 18, 2024.
He claims that Mr. Agyebeng authorized polygraph tests for 80% of the Office’s staff, not through Ghana’s National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) but instead via the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Mr. Kuranchie argued that Agyebeng’s actions meet the criteria for removal outlined in Section 15(1) of the Special Prosecutor Act (Act 959), which details conditions under which the Special Prosecutor may be dismissed.
“Petitioner presents this petition for the removal of the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, on the authority of Section 15(1) of the Special Prosecutor Act, (Act 959) of 2017,” noting that grounds for removal include “stated misbehaviour, incompetence, incapacity…willful violation of the Official Oath and Oath of Secrecy,” portions of the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President, signed by the Acting Secretary and Legal Counsel to Akufo-Addo, has acknowledged receipt of the petition.
The petition follows a Supreme Court dismissal of a suit in July 2024, in which Mr. Kuranchie sought to declare the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) unconstitutional.
That case, brought against the Attorney General and the OSP, claimed that the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), contravened several articles of the 1992 Constitution.
Although Kuranchie previously discontinued a similar suit last year, he recently filed a new petition on the same grounds, seeking a constitutional review of the OSP’s mandate.
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