Former member of Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Committee, Inusah Fusieni, has rebuffed attempts to diminish the crucial role played by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in the ongoing battle against corruption.
He emphasized that the OSP holds a distinctive mandate focused on combating corruption and related offenses. He asserted that any debate questioning the office’s benefit to the state should not even be entertained.
During an interview on JoyFM’s Newsnight, he clarified that the office is in its early stages and is presently gaining insights from diverse cases it has addressed. He added that giving ample space for the office to operate will prove to be immensely advantageous.
“We are learning a useful lesson from Martin Amidu, we are learning a useful lesson from Kissi Agyebeng and I think that somehow we have come to accept that the office has been weaponised, and I don’t think it will be in the interest of any political party to scrap that office,” he said on December 12, 2023.
Mr Fuseini added that although both past and present Special Prosecutors have not successfully prosecuted anyone for corrupt practices, the mere fact the office exists can make people refrain from corrupt practices.
“Clearly, people know that the office exists, and even if they are not having prosecution, the fact that you can be sent to the Special Prosecutor’s office is enough deterrence and the periodic information given to the public on the number of cases being handled by the Special Prosecutor also goes some way in dealing with the issue of corruption,” he added.
The former MP for Tamale Central said the main concern should be adopting ways to empower the office and make it more effective and fit for purpose.
Reacting to the criticisms about the OSP’s inability to successfully prosecute a single case since its establishment, he said that was not good enough considering the amount invested in creating the office.
“The fact that we have not convicted even a single soul under that office of the special prosecutor is enough to worry,” he said.
Meanwhile, during parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday, December 12, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, asserted that the law establishing the OSP was an act of futility.
Speaking during the consideration of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, he stressed that the Office will not achieve any results in the fight against corruption.