The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is prosecuting four persons including James Keck Osei, the Director of Administration at the Office of the Vice President.
The OSP had accused the four persons– three public servants and one civil servant– of failing to declare their income sources.
The four are Issah Seidu, James Keck Osei, John Abban and Peter Archibald Hyde.
They were brought before court on Monday, February 13, 2023, and three of them were granted bail while one of them failed to appear in court.
The Office of the Vice President has been giving reasons why the OSP is prosecuting Mr. James Keck Osei.
In a press statement issued by the Vice President’s Secretariat and signed by Augustine Blay, the Secretary to the Vice President, it was disclosed that, Mr. Keck Osei has found himself on the wrong side of the law for illegally writing a letter to the Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority “seeking assistance in clearing 15 containers of rice” imported from Thailand in April 2022.
“Among others, the letter falsely conveyed that the Office [of the Vice President] needed the containers of rice for Ramadan festivities.”
According to the Secretariat, GRA did not comply with Mr. Keck Osei’s letter but rather informed him that there was another claimant of the rice.
Mr. Keck subsequently wrote another letter in July 2022 to withdraw his earlier request.
The OSP subsequently took up the case in September 2022 and started investigating it.
Bawumia’s Office had earlier distanced the second gentleman of the land from Mr. Keck’s action.
While insisting that Mr. Keck’s letter was unauthorised and that only the Secretary to the Vice President is mandated to write such letters on behalf of the Office, the Secretariat said the Chief Director at the Office of the President has begun investigating the matter in accordance with the civil service procedures, rules and regulations and where a breach is established in respect of the Civic Services rules and regulations, the service shall apply the necessary sanctions.
Read below the full statement below:
