Special Prosecutor got it wrong by disagreeing with publication of assets — Dafeamekpor

Majority Chief Whip and MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has disagreed with the stance of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, on the publication of assets declared by public office holders.

The Special Prosecutor has rejected calls from sections of the public for declared assets to be made public.

Speaking at the National Anti-Corruption Conference on Friday, June 6, at the Accra International Conference Centre, Mr Agyebeng said publishing such information could expose officials to undue scrutiny and possible reprisals.

“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 the specter of the real likelihood of reprisals against the assets,” he said.

But responding on Accra-based TV3’s KeyPoints show on Saturday, June 7, Mr Dafeamekpor urged the Special Prosecutor to reconsider his position, saying it is fundamentally flawed.

He argued that the publication of assets is a constitutional requirement for transparency, citing Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution to back his claim.

“So, I think Kissi got it absolutely wrong. Being the Special Prosecutor, he should be the first advocate, the first disciple for publication. So, he is wrong,” the lawmaker asserted.

“How can the Constitution provide for the declaration of assets and deny us from seeing the nature of those assets?” he questioned.