The Member of Parliament (MP) for Amenfi Central, Peter Kwakye Ackah has said that the office of the Special Prosecutor will be deemed a serious one if it starts working like former President Jerry John Rawlings.
According to him, the former President was able to condemn people who were seen to be corrupt in the former John Mahama administration despite being the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
This trait, he said sets the former President apart as an anti-corruption crusader and ought to be learnt by the person to be appointed the Special Prosecutor by President Akufo-Addo.
“The Special Prosecutor must commence work from the government of Akufo-Addo and start prosecuting persons accused of engaging in corrupt acts in that government…he must learn from Rawlings who would criticise his own people and condemn them for being corrupt,” he said on Adom TV’s ‘Badwam’ on Wednesday.
This, according to the Amenfi Central MP is a way of showing that the Special Prosecutor is prepared to help fight corruption in the country.
The President of the Republic assented to the Bill for the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor, at a brief signing ceremony at the Flagstaff House, on Tuesday, 2nd January, 2017.
In the presence of the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, President Akufo-Addo also signed the Bills establishing the Zongo Development Fund, the Coastal Development Authority, the Middle Belt Development Authority and the Northern Development Authority.
These bills, according to President Akufo-Addo, are “some of the most important elements of the New Patriotic Party’s (2016) manifesto, upon which we were elected into office”, and “have now found legislative expression.”
Signing the Bill for the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor, President Akufo-Addo stated that “my hope and expectation is that the establishment of this office is going to be an important step in our collective determination to root out corruption in the public life of our country.”
The President continued, “All of us know it (corruption) is a major bane in the development of Ghana, and, hopefully, this office will make sure that public officials, past and present, are held to account for their actions, and that corrupt acts will no longer go without investigation, and, if necessary, sanction, once due process has been respected.”
But Peter Kwakye Ackah said the Special Prosecutor will be taking seriously if he is able to start chasing persons accused of being corrupt in the Akufo-Addo administration.
“In just one year in government, appointees of the the government have been accused of many corrupt acts and the Special Prosecutor will show that he or she is prepared to work if the prosecutions start from there…,” he said.
The SP, as some people prefer to call the Special Prosecutor, the Legislator added ought to investigate the alleged acts of corruption such as the premix fuel, cash for seat at the presidency, Chief of Staffs taking money from people before being allowed to see the president and several other sagas.
To him, the SP must learn from the likes of former President Jerry John Rawlings and start chasing corrupt people in the Nana Addo administration.
Source: Ghana / Adomonline.com / KWAKU NTI
