The fight against corruption in Ghana has always been a double-edged sword. While the nation collectively agrees on the need to combat the deep-seated issue, the institutions tasked with leading the charge often face an equal measure of resistance.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, speaking at the Constitution Day Public Lecture, did not mince words when he laid bare the paradox facing his office.
“There have been attempts to discredit the principles of the office and its officers, unjustly attended by formidable resistance and pushback. Often the attacks on the office and its principals are done by persons who are at the short end of investigation or prosecution, and the associates of such persons,” he stated.
For years, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has been seen as Ghana’s best hope in tackling corruption at the highest levels. It was created to be independent, fearless, and relentless in its pursuit of justice.
However, from the tenure of its first head, Martin Amidu, to the current leadership of Kissi Agyebeng, the office has faced internal and external battles that have often threatened to derail its mandate. Investigations into politically exposed persons have been met with fierce pushback, legal gymnastics, and, in some cases, a loss of public confidence.
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Agyebeng lamented the existential challenge that confronts the OSP. “Though the nation collectively acknowledges that we must fight corruption, yet there is also a section that the flagship agency designed, even if imperfectly, to fight corruption is not needed and should be disbanded while others actively undermine it and its principal officers.”
This speaks to a much deeper issue in Ghana’s fight against corruption—selective support. When the OSP is seen as going after political opponents, it is praised by one side and vilified by the other. When its actions touch those in power, the office suddenly becomes unnecessary or is accused of overstepping its bounds. This cycle of contradiction has made the job of the Special Prosecutor nearly impossible.
Agyebeng highlighted this dilemma, saying, “This has translated into a rather curious cycle; there is an outcry when the OSP acts and an outcry when it is seen as not acting. It is as if we do not know what we want. The situation in Ghana now appears to be like ‘we must fight corruption, but we must not fight corruption.’ That is our state now.”
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