Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has revealed that he never sought or lobbied for his position, emphasizing that he was even initially reluctant to accept the role.
“I am a reluctant occupier of the position of the Special Prosecutor – in the sense that I neither asked for nor lobbied for it. I am not inclined to recount how I got to sit in this seat, except to say that the position was laid on my head,” he stated.
At the One Ghana Movement’s Annual Constitutional Day Lecture in Accra on Friday, February 28, Agyebeng said accepting the job required significant personal sacrifices.
“Sacrificially, I eventually accepted the position. I allude to sacrifice because the acceptance of the job required me to drastically change my lifestyle and my life as I knew it. Not that I was engaged in some opprobrious vocation or habit. Not in the least. But that I was fun-loving and the outdoorsy reveling type. I was also an elite walker. In my estimation, I cannot do most of the things that bore a meaning to life anymore. That is one aspect of the sacrifice – purely private quests, you would say,” he stressed.
Despite his commitment to fighting corruption, Agyebeng lamented that Ghanaians seem unwilling to make similar sacrifices. He argued that while citizens want corruption to be addressed, they are often resistant to the fight, leading to constant pushback and attacks against his office.
“The pushback is reflected in so many forms, including the sponsorship of attacks and vile publications against the Special Prosecutor. Sadly, some of the enemies the job attracts would not hesitate to take a life should the opportunity present itself. Thus, my security risk is ultra-high. The same applies to the operational officers of the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” he noted.
He revealed further that his dedication to fighting corruption earns him new enemies daily, making the role highly challenging and thankless.
However, Agyebeng remains hopeful, emphasizing that institutional reforms are necessary to ensure the sustainability of the fight against corruption.
He called for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to be enshrined in the constitution to guarantee its independence and protection from political interference.
“We must write the Office of the Special Prosecutor into the constitution and firm it up. Do not dwell on me. My tenure will end at some point, and like everyone else, I will leave the scene. The focus should be on building institutions that stand the test of time,” he stated.
As part of his proposals, Agyebeng recommended introducing anti-corruption studies into school curricula and establishing specialized anti-corruption courts to tackle graft more effectively.
