'Special Prosecutor A Negative Agenda Against The Law'

Former Deputy Finance Minister says contrary to the view held by government that creation of the Office of Special Prosecutor will minimise incidents of corruption, it will rather hold back public officers from being innovative.

Mona Quartey says public servants could become unmoved and pitiless in the discharge of their duties for fear being prosecuted for taking decisions that could be cited as an infraction of the law.

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Special Prosecutor's Bill after a marathon sitting.

When it received presidential approval, the Bill will give power to an independent prosecutor who will be tasked with the responsibility of prosecuting past and present public officers deemed to have engaged in corrupt practices.

Commenting on the issue on Joy FM/Multitv's news analysis programme Newsfile Saturday, Mrs Quartey expressed fear that, the new law “will even make some public servants become unresponsive…I’m suspecting it will have an impact on productivity.”

According to her, there already exist laws in the statute books which could be used to prosecute such misconducts making it needless for the state to create an office to do that.

“We all agree that there must be some efforts to take care of corruption but do we need that extra layer of law to do it?” she quizzed.

However, Deputy Majority Leader and Minister of State in charge of Public Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo extolled the virtues of creating such an office.

She called on all Ghanaians to support the yet-to-be-named Special Prosecutor to enable him/her to protect the national purse.

“I think we should praise ourselves as a country and be unitary when it comes to the issue of corruption…the issue about some people in very key public positions who decide to use public funds for their personal gains,” she said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Jerry Tsatro Mordy | Email: [email protected], Twitter: @jerrymordy