The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has called for a bold shift in Ghana’s fight against corruption, urging that public officers with assets exceeding their known income should have those properties confiscated.
Speaking at a high-level national conference on Ghana’s Anti-Corruption Architecture, held under the theme “Revitalizing the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey”, Mr. Agyebeng downplayed the reliance on asset declarations as a meaningful tool in curbing corruption.
He argued that mere declarations do not reveal the true picture, stressing that the focus must rather be on verifying the authenticity and sources of assets acquired by public officials.
“Assets declaration alone won’t fight corruption. We must ask: are these assets honestly declared, and do they match the income levels of those who hold them? If they don’t, the law should allow for their confiscation,” he stated.
Mr. Agyebeng further advocated for legal reforms that shift focus from imprisoning corrupt individuals to recovering the illicit assets they acquire, describing asset retrieval as a more effective deterrent.
He acknowledged the complex nature of fighting corruption in a technologically advancing world, and stressed the need for a collective national effort, beginning with the education of students and civic engagement at all levels.
Additionally, the Special Prosecutor waded into internal political party structures, calling for the abolition of the delegate system in primaries.
He believes replacing it with universal constituency-level voting would foster greater transparency and inclusiveness within political parties.