Member of the legal team of the NDC, Abraham Amaliba
A member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) Abraham Amaliba, has sounded a trumpet of advice to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to allow the new Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng to pursue his mandate of combating corruption in the country, especially in his government without interference.
According to the private legal practitioner, the first Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu did not succeed in his mandate of fighting corruption in the country because the President interfered when he targeted his Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and in regards to the Agyapa Royalties deal in the country.
Mr Amaliba pointed out that if the country does not want the new Special Prosecutor to fail and walk out on the job as happened to the first Special Prosecutor then the citizens must be vigilant in warding off the President to allow Kissi Agyebeng to pursue his constitutional mandate.
He thus opined that if the citizenry is able to shield the Office of the Special Prosecutor(OSP) from the President then he is sure that the occupant of that hallowed office will definitely succeed in combating graft in the country.
Mr Amaliba made this pronouncement in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on the ‘New Day’ show on TV3, Friday, July 23.
He was speaking on the heels of the vetting of the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng by the Appointment Committee of parliament and his unanimous approval by the committee as the Special Prosecutor on Thursday, July 22, waiting for the plenary vote.
“So let’s focus on the presidency and the president, let’s ensure that we speak against the conduct of the president so as to enable Kissi Agyebeng to succeed. I want him to succeed but the only stumbling block in the way of Kissi Agyebeng is the president, his interference in the work of independent bodies. And I have chronicled, I have indicated how Domelevo was axed away, I have indicated how it became intolerable for Martin Amidu to stay in office,” he pointed out.
He continued “but he himself has told us, and has sounded a lot of warnings to us that unless it becomes intolerable, he said it. So once again, do we want another Special Prosecutor to leave office? How do we ensure that this doesn’t happen? We need to focus our attention on the president and the presidency to allow the office to operate. If that is done, it doesn’t matter whose ox is gored, even if it’s the president’s cousin, let him face the music so if we are able to shield Kissi Agyebeng from the presidency, I am of the view that he will succeed.
“But if we allow the presidency to be lurking around that office as he did during Martin Amidu’s time when he made it difficult for him to operate, I can tell you that we are going to have another resignation or if we don’t have another resignation, we will only have another Special Prosecutor who will only play ball and we will not have the effect of that office at all”.