Private Legal Practitioner, Gary Nimako
Private Legal Practitioner, Gary Nimako says the Special Prosecutor nominee, Kissi Agyebeng is more than qualified for the job.
Opposing comments made by former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini who claims Kissi-Agyebeng is too young to fight corruption, Gary said, “I have heard what Inusah Fuseini said but I will say his comment is highly misplaced”.
According to him, at the time the bill was passed for the formation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Inusah Fuseini was an MP then and the requirements for who occupies the position was not limited by age.
“When the law was at the deliberation state, Inusah Fuseini was in parliament and there was no place in the law that says one must exceed a specified age limit before being appointed special prosecutor. If there was that need, parliament would have indicated that as a legal qualification. If Inusah Fuseini says on radio or television that Kissi Agyebeng is young, then the comment is not borne out of the law, is highly misplaced and so unfortunate”, he stated.
To Gary, if parliament in its wisdom accepted the criteria for who becomes Special Prosecutor without age being a problem, “then it is unfortunate Inusah Fuseini will make such a statement”.
Expressing his surprise at comments on the age of the Special Prosecutor nominee, the lawyer sadly reminded Ghanaians how the immediate past Special Prosecutor was pushed out of office because “he was old. If we bring in older person we complain he is over aged and still complain when a younger person is also appointed into the office”.
On his authority, Kissi Agyebeng is competent “and his name popping up is a good thing and I am sure President Akufo-Addo and his advisers did well to nominate such a youthful person for the office”.
Gary who supports the nomination of Kissi Agyebeng as Special Prosecutor called on others to do same in an interview on the Epa Hoa Daben political talk show hosted by Happy98.9FM’s Don Kwabena Prah.
The learned fellow advised Kissi Agyebeng not to build his office around him. “Being in charge of the office doesn’t mean the office should be built around him”. He should recruit and build the institution around prosecutors and invigilators to run a professional office even in his absence”.
In an interview on an Accra based media house, Inusah Fuseini said although Kissi Agyebeng is qualified to head the anti-graft office, he is too young to fight against corruption in the country.
“Did the President search well enough and not found a worthy replacement for Martin Amidu other than Kissi Agyebeng? Why did the President settle on Agyebeng, when Agyebeng after seven years will be around 50 years?” the former MP asked.
“The Special Prosecutor’s position which is a risky job needs someone who is further advanced in life to resist any form of temptations due to how complicated the fight against corruption is” Mr. Inusah stressed.