Political Scientist and lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has criticised the work of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over its investigations into corruption and corruption-related activities on illegal mining.

0

Over the weekend, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, noted that the OSP cannot treat any individual accused of engaged in corrupt activities as saints as it would derail its fight against corruption.He explained that “in consecrating your saint and heroes, mind you, I am your conscience, I’m the spirit of the nation and the office stands for that.“In the estimation of the office, there are no saints, there are no heroes.

1

Now if I approach this job of fighting corruption, that there are some persons in the society who have attained the status of sainthood, we will lose the fight against corruption,” he told Samson Lardi Anyenini, host of JoyNews' Newsfile last Saturday.

2

In response, Professor Gyampo in a Facebook post today noted that Mr Kissi Agyebeng's comments are not founded in law as it is the principle that "all are innocent or 'consecrated saints' until proven guilty.""So, where from this new alien legal maxim being propounded and must we allow Kissi Agyabeng to impose it on us as a people?" he therefore quizzed.

3

The Newsfile show mostly centered on the recent arrest of Professor Frimpong Boateng, the former Chair of Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) and former Environment Minister and the work of the OSP in capturing individuals engaged in galamsey, also known as illegal mining.

4

The lecturer also took a swipe at the Special Prosecutor for noting that despite the good works of Professor Frimpong-Boateng, he was apprehended in a manner that is not befitting, particularly when no charge was levelled against him.The Special Prosecutor said “I respect the credentials of the Professor, and I doff my hat to him. You know me very well and I am an academician as well so I respect such people on all scores.

5

"“I mean the CV is unbelievable, I respect that and I applaud him for that but I have a charge to keep. The charge I have to keep is to the Republic of Ghana and to the public,” he added.In reaction, Prof Gyampo stated "Even though he admits and applauds the achievements and contributions of Prof Frimpong Boateng to Ghana, some of his comments surreptitiously rubbish such heroic contributions.

6

We must guillotine this attitude of ingratitude and prevent it from festering, or else no one will die for Ghana like the Special Prosecutor wants us to believe he’s currently doing, but which I honestly doubt."Find the full statement by Prof Ransford Gyampo below:I have been pondering over the responses of the Special Prosecutor on Newsfile over the weekend.

7

Though I initially thought the interview brought out some useful information, reflecting on the responses again in more sobriety, makes me a bit worried. Kissi Agyabeng says he doesn’t consecrate saints, and that he is the conscience and soul of Ghana. Not consecrating saints can be interpreted to mean every suspect is a criminal ab initio.

8

But in his own law that he studied, there is a principle that all are innocent or “consecrated saints” until proven guilty. So, where from this new alien legal maxim being propounded and must we allow Kissi Agyabeng to impose it on us as a people?Even though he admits and applauds the achievements and contributions of Prof Frimpong Boateng to Ghana, some of his comments surreptitiously rubbish such heroic contributions.

9

We must guillotine this attitude of ingratitude and prevent it from festering, or else no one will die for Ghana like the Special Prosecutor wants us to believe he’s currently doing, but which I honestly doubt.

10

Kissi’s claim that he, an individual, and a mortal human being, who isn’t a saint himself, is the conscience and soul of Ghana, sounds religiously and politically blasphemous and problematic, as he suddenly attempts to play God in Ghana. Per his own enabling act, he walks in the shadows of the Attorney General who is a partisan appointee. He can be directed and dictated to, by the Attorney General in the conduct of his work.

11

Such a dependent Special Prosecutor, cannot arrogate to himself the role of an Independent Public Prosecutor. You cannot walk in the shadows of a partisan appointee and still describe yourself as the conscience and soul of the nation. Even the Citizen Vigilante, Martin Amidu, in spite of all that he did prior to his appointment and during his appointment as Special Prosecutor, never described himself as the conscience and soul of the nation.

12

It may be possible for someone or an institution to emerge one day, as the soul and conscience of the nation. But even if this may be possible, trust for such institutions created by partisan executive presidents in Ghana can only be built over time, not at once, as aptly argued by Kofi Bentil on Newsfile over the weekend.

13

If politicians have succeeded in bastardising and making even constitutionally created independent institutions nearly dependent, even to the point of ordering their staff to submit their CVs to them for scrutiny, then Kissi Agyabeng cannot force Ghanaians to trust him all of a sudden as being independent.Back in school, he wasn’t a tough person.

14

But of course, he may have built his psyche and grown to become a strong-willed person over the years, and this may be a positive attribute required to head the office he occupies. But granted this, mere talk, and display of a certain body language (that I do not want to describe as arrogance), cannot suddenly force all Ghanaians to believe that the Special Prosecutor is independent.

15

Let him truly go after all who are culpable in this galamsey menace; let him look into the faces of his friends and political appointees and refuse to favour them in his quest to help the fight against galamsey; and let him do these over a period of time, and he will surely win the hearts of all Ghanaians.Yaw GyampoA31, PrabiwPAV Ansah StreetSaltpond&Suro Nipa HouseKubeaseLarteh-Akuapim

16

com/watch?v=wnOM2MZUfB8Source: The Independent Ghana

17