Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has launched a blistering attack on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), questioning its relevance, performance, and legal posture in the ongoing investigation involving former Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta.
Addressing a group of journalists in Accra, he expressed dismay at what he described as a “media spectacle” being orchestrated by the Special Prosecutor rather than a lawful prosecution.
“So what is wrong with this OSP? Is he conducting a public and media trial of Ken Ofori-Atta? As of now, no charges have been brought against Ken, so he’s not an accused person yet—even if the OSP sees him as a person of interest,” he stated.
Mr Kwabena Agyepong criticised the delay in bringing charges against Mr Ofori-Atta, stating that if the Office had credible evidence, it should have proceeded to court.
“If the OSP has what he’s claiming he has, why hasn’t he charged Ken with all the assembled facts and evidence and started prosecution in a proper court of law?” he queried.
“After all, people have been tried in absentia several times in the past. Does he need the physical presence of Ken before he does his job?”
The former NPP scribe also questioned the legal basis on which the OSP sought to brand Mr Ofori-Atta a “fugitive from justice,” asserting that such determinations are the sole preserve of the judiciary.
“That cannot be the mandate of a prosecutor who should be busying himself trying to prove his case before a judge,” Mr Agyepong stated.
He accused the Special Prosecutor of double standards, recalling that the OSP himself had previously operated outside the country while claiming threats to his life.
“When he claimed his life was under threat, didn’t he find it necessary to operate outside the country at our expense?” Mr Agyepong asked. “If he could work outside the country, then he could equally reach Ken. This is clearly a PR stunt to justify himself in an office that should never have been set up in the first place—a worthless drain on our overstretched public purse.”
Mr Agyepong’s comments are set to reignite public debate over the role and effectiveness of the OSP, which was established to independently investigate and prosecute corruption and related offences involving public officers.
