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17.11.2017 Headlines

Special Prosecutor Must Ensure Fairness---Garu MP Cautions

By Raphael Apetorgbor
Special Prosecutor Must Ensure Fairness---Garu MP Cautions
17.11.2017 LISTEN

The National Democratic Party(NDC), Member of Parliament for Garu constituency, Mr Albert Akuka, has asked government to thread safely and ensure that the Office of the Special Prosecutor ensures impartiality in doing its work.

According to him, the office should be neutral to avoid the suspicion that it was purposely set up to intimidate members of the opposition NDC.

Although, he was in agreement with the passage of the bill, he warned the process should not be used to target NDC members alone.

"For us (NDC) we are looking at fairness from the government of the day, we don't expect it to be witch hunting the immediate past administration alone" he stressed.

Mr Akuka has instead urged government to ensure it investigates and prosecute current officials and past government officials from Rawlings' administration to date who have been alleged to have engaged in corrupt practices.

'It should target the officials in Kufour's era where allegations of corruption were levelled, the Rawlings' era, Atta Mills' and John Mahama's era as a means to ensure fairness, " Mr Akuka told the Daily Express in an interview in reaction to the Passage of the Special Prosecutor Bill which is aimed at helping the government handle corruption -related issues among state officials in a nonpartisan manner.

Per the Act, an independent prosecutor will head the office and prosecute corruption offenses by state officers.

The bill was first introduced through a certificate of urgency in July, bringing parliamentary speed to the President’s quip that he is a man in a hurry.

But it was resisted by the Constitutional, Legal Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament on the basis that it did not fall within the category of Bills brought before the House under a certificate of urgency.

The Special Prosecutor’s office was one of the key anti-corruption measures propagated by President Akufo-Addo while campaigning in the 2016 elections.

Mr Akuka also advised that when the Special Prosecutor is appointed , he or she should be allowed to do his or her work without interference, intimidation or harassment from government.

The Garu constituency legislature urged Ghanaians to join the fight against corruption to help secure the future of the country.

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