Renowned Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu has disputed the assertion by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, that creating the Office of the Special Prosecutor was an act of futility.

In an interview with JoyNews, Mr. Kpebu argued that the Speaker's assertion is baseless, as the Special Prosecutor's Office, regardless of its constraints, has consistently demonstrated its effectiveness in fulfilling its role and mandate in the ongoing fight against corruption.

“I vehemently disagree with the speaker. Generally I’m positively disposed towards Mr Speaker, however, on this occasion, I think Mr Speaker misspoke,” he said.

The Speaker during the consideration of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, 2021, intimated that creating the OSP was an act in futility.

He argued that given the existence of offices such as the Attorney General’s Department and the Ministry of Justice, there was no need for an OSP.

In a reaction, Mr Kpebu questioned the basis on which such a claim was made and noted that if the argument revolves around insufficient funding and resources for the OSP's operations, then it cannot be asserted that creating the office was futile.

“Funding is not the greatest challenge. The problem is about independence, grit, and the resilience of somebody who can take the necessary decisions to prosecute corruption and corruption related offenses. So it’s indisputable that over the decade we have all agreed that usually an Attorney General who is appointed by the President is not the best person to prosecute his colleagues, they don’t usually do well,” he said.

He noted that the OSP has proven himself worthy in his role, adding that Ghana's democracy has moved forward because of the OSP.

“Mr Agyebeng has had his problems but the office has done well. Look at Labianca. Through the Labianca case, Kissi Agyebeng ordered GRA to come out with a new policy… If you look at Adu Boahen, Cecilia Dapaahs case, even though he’s not won in court, in the court of Public Opinion, we have finished.

“And our democracy has moved forward because Cecilia Dapaah has suffered a lot of public backlash, naming and shaming and it’s moved our democracy forward. It doesn’t matter what finally happens in court. For the public, 1 million dollars, subsequently, US$ 590,000, and then GHc 2.8 million, she can’t explain. Even if later, through technicalities she wins in court, that fact will always remain that she couldn’t explain to the general public how she got the money. So our demo is moved forward. That’s accountability,” he noted.