Kissi Agyebeng, Special Prosecutor (Right) and Attorney General, Godfred Dame (Left)
• The new SP has revealed he inherited nine employees from pioneer SP Martin Amidu
• Some of these employees include, drivers, cleaners, a prosecutor and an investigator
• Kissi Agyebeng made the disclosure when he paid a working visit to the Attorney General
Kissi Agyebeng, the second occupant of the Office of the Special Prosecutor has disclosed he inherited a total of nine employees from his predecessor, Martin Amidu when he took office on August 5, 2021.
According to him, the staff inherited included drivers, cleaners, a prosecutor on secondment from the Attorney General’s office and an investigator on secondment from the Ghana Police Service.
Making the disclosure during a working visit to the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, Agyebeng said these staff have been in place since 2018 and it was therefore necessary for his office to be adequately staffed and well resourced.
He also pointed that the office urgently needed logistical support to independently undertake its mandate in fighting corruption.
The latest revelation by the Special Prosecutor comes after the former occupant of the office, Martin Amidu had on numerous occasions lamented over the non-availability of staff and resources to conduct the work of the office.
But to address this situation, Kissi Agyebeng outlined to the Attorney General a number of strategies to bolster the offices’ mandate.
He revealed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor is looking to recruit about 250 members as staff within the next six months.
The Office, for the 2021 year, will work with an approved budget of GH¢80 million which was also the original budget approved under the former occupant.
Should the said plans and strategies come into fruition within the period, the budget for the Office is likely to be expanded.
Agyebeng was vetted in July this year and subsequently sworn into office by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He took the seat following the resignation of Martin Amidu in November 2020, over concerns it was less-resourced and allegations that the Executive was interfering with his work.
President Akufo-Addo, during the swearing-in ceremony of Kissi Agyebeng, indicated that he did not regret appointing Martin Amidu despite the various allegations and names Mr. Amidu had labelled him with.
He however said Kissi Agyebeng’s professional and academic background “eminently’ qualified him “to occupy the office of Special Prosecutor.”
The president added that, “He has the capacity, the experience, the requisite values, and intellectual strength to succeed in this vital position. I urge the new Special Prosecutor to bear in mind at all times that the office carries an extraordinary responsibility to fight corruption independently and impartially.”
Agyebeng on his part, after his swearing-in ceremony, gave the assurance that he will work tirelessly in ensuring that corruption would become difficult to engage in.