Counsel to President Akufo-Addo, Kow Essuman, has publicly refuted a claim by private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu that President Akufo-Addo asked Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng to vacate his post.
In a post on his X platform, Mr Essuman challenged Mr Kpebu to provide evidence to support his claim.
Kow Essuman said “I really hope that my learned friend, Martin Kpebu, did not make this statement. But in the event that my hope is dashed and he actually made this statement, then I dare him to name his supposed source at the Presidency that provided him with this false information.
“He should provide evidence of this allegation. Given his standing as a lawyer, it is simply not enough for him to say, ‘I have my sources at the Presidency.’ He should provide cogent evidence to support this allegation rather than putting out speculations and conjectures.”
Martin Kpebu, while making the claim, also stated that Kissi Agyebeng refused to comply with the President’s order. Kpebu further asserted that former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu provided President Akufo-Addo with an opportunity to remove Kissi Agyebeng through his petition for Agyebeng’s removal.
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, May 18, Kpebu said “Martin Amidu has served as an opportunity for President Akufo-Addo to get Kissi Agyebeng out, Akufo-Addo had asked Kissi to resign a few months ago.”
When asked about the source of this information, he said “I have my sources at the presidency, and they told me that President Akufo-Addo asked Kissi to resign but Kissi said no, he is not going anywhere. Because Akufo-Addo is scared that the way Kissi is showing a bit of independence, a bit of steam, if he leaves Kissi in office, Kissi is likely to prosecute him and his appointees.”
Mr Kpebu further suggested that the petition is an effort to replace Kissi with a more compliant individual in that office. He accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of being behind this petition.
“It is an attempt to push Kissi out and get a very malleable special prosecutor, it is a serious blow to the fight against corruption, we would have thought that at this time Akufo Addo would think about how to resource the Office of the Special prosecutor yet he is rather more interested in removing the SP.
“There have been several petitions in the past that Akufo-Addo never acted on. Oliver Barker Vormawor petitioned Akufo-Addo to remove Jean Mensa but Akufo-Addo never acted on it. This one, for him to have acted swiftly, it shows he is happy and I am sure he is behind this. Because Kissi is showing a bit of independence Akufo-Addo is afraid that when he leaves office he will be prosecuted,” Kpebu said on the News Central on TV3 on Friday May 17.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo wrote to Kissi Agyebeng, requesting his comments on the petition filed by his predecessor, Martin Amidu, for his removal.
The Chief Justice’s letter stated that Agyebeng’s comments are needed to establish a prima facie case or otherwise.
In a letter dated Thursday, May 16, addressed to Mr. Agyebeng, the Chief Justice requested his comments to help ascertain if a prima facie case had been established.