Agyebeng's conflict of interest reason for inability to present corruption offences against Adu Boahen - Martin Amidu

Martin Amidu, the former Special Prosecutor, has accused his predecessor, Kissi Agyebeng, of allowing personal interests to interfere with his investigation of the Charles Adu Boahen case.

According to him, the Special Prosecutor's inability to present corruption charges against Abu Boahen are influenced by his conflict of interest.

The OSP, on October 30, announced that it had dropped the allegation of influence peddling levelled against the former Minister of State in charge of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen.

The OSP’s reason was that the former minister’s action did not constitute a criminal conduct in an Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigation that unearthed alleged bribery involving Adu Boahen, under the Ghanaian law.

Further, Martin Amidu noted that the failure of the OSP in presenting corruption offences committed by the former minister was deliberate.

“Kissi Agyebeng’s inability to present the corruption offences suspected to have been committed by Charles Adu Boahen, and Anas Aremeyaw Anas under sections 239 and 179C of Act 29 were deliberately actuated and influenced by his conflict of interest which he was conscious of,” part of his statements read.

Martin Amidu explained also that due to the involvement of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the former partner of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, in the investigation, the OSP has been careful in pressing further charges.

“The events giving rise to the presidential referral of the Charles Adu Boahen case to the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng for investigation from the findings of the Special Prosecutor took place between March 2017 and February 2018 through a Tiger Eye P.I. investigative journalism operation.

"Kissi Agyebeng during the period of the investigation and up to his appointment on 5 August 2021 as the Special Prosecutor was a partner with Anas Aremeyaw Anas in the law firm of Cromwell Gray, LLP founded by Anas Anas as first partner and William Kissi Agyebeng as the second partner. Kissi Agyebeng and CromwellGray LPP in which Anas Aremeyaw Anas is a partner acted as the lawyers for Tiger Eye P.I.” he stated.

The former Special Prosecutor also indicated that Kissi Agyebeng has been emotionally vested such that he has put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with the performance of the functions of his office.

“Kissi Agyebeng was so invested in Tiger Eye P.I. and emotionally involved from 2017 to 2019 in its operations that upon the death of Ahmed Hussein Suale he granted an interview to Kofi TV in January 2019 in which he explained the modus operandi of Tiger Eye P.I. and called for the arrest of Kennedy Ohene Agyapong for suspected complicity in the murder.

“Kissi Agyebeng’s interview with Kofi TV in the Twi language puts beyond doubt his relationship with Tiger Eye P.I., Anas Aremeyaw Anas, and the late Ahmed Hussein Suale which shows that as Special Prosecutor, he suffers from a prohibitive conflict of interest as a public officer under Article 284 of the 1992 Constitution by “putting himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with the performance of the functions of his office,” he added.

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