In 2021, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) sent a formal letter to the Ministry of Finance requesting authorization to buy multiple cars.
Thus, the September 2021 request was sent out just over a month after Kissi Agyebeng took the oath of office as the office’s second occupant.
The letter is headed “APPLICATION FOR COMMENCEMENT WARRANT” and is addressed to the Minister of Finance.
It read in part: “The Office of the Special Prosecutor wishes to apply for Commencement Warrant for the purchase of the under-listed vehicles for the office.”
The formal request outlined four types of armored-plated vehicles and twelve types of soft/light-body vehicles, with the total cost of the requested vehicles amounting to GH29,952,000.
Within the requested vehicles, there were a total of six armored cars and 38 light-body cars. Notably, the BMW 750 LI emerged as the most expensive in the consignment, valued at over 1.6 million cedis, while the Toyota Camry held the position of the least-priced, priced at 330,000 cedis.
It remains undisclosed whether the entire purchase request was approved or who compiled the list, with uncertainty surrounding whether it was formulated by the inaugural Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, or his predecessor.
In addressing the challenges encountered in fulfilling his mandate, the current Special Prosecutor (SP) highlighted the adverse impact of unfavorable court decisions.
The government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has faced widespread criticism for alleged corrupt practices involving top appointees and individuals closely associated with the presidency.
Ghana’s poor performance in annual anti-corruption rankings by Transparency International has further fueled concerns. Local anti-graft agencies have lamented the perceived failure of President Akufo-Addo to take decisive action against allegedly corrupt appointees.
