Shield Special Prosecutor from interference – MP

The Vice Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Alexander Abban, has said the yet-to-be created Office of Special Prosecutor should be free from political interference if the office is to fight corruption effectively.

Mr Abban said this ahead of the presentation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill among others to parliament next week.

The bills will be read for the first time next week, from where it will be referred to the various committees for further input before their approval.

Speaking to Class News’ parliamentary correspondent Ekow Annan, the Gomoa West MP was confident the bill would insulate the special prosecutor from all political interferences.

“For now it [the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill] may be palliative… It may have a palliative effect because in the beginning, it will be hailed and probably because it has been introduced fresh, there will be that insulation,” he stated.

“We have not seen the bill yet but I believe the bill will insulate the Special Prosecutor from all political interferences and all that and that his tenure of office is going to be assured and he is not going to be at the beck and call of the executive.

“If those kinds of political or legal safeguards are given, then at least we can bank our hope on the integrity and the fortitude of the Prosecutor himself. But if the Prosecutor is still going to be at the behest of the executive, then I’m afraid we may have it just in name and it may not have any serious bite.

“So let the bill come. It is my expectation that the Independent Prosecutor will be truly independent and that he will be forthright and deal with people regardless of their background, without any animosity, without any ill feeling and he will not do that capriciously. He will just make sure that he will let the law apply to everybody.”

The other bills that will be laid before parliament next week include the Zongo and Inner City Development Bill, Northern Development Authority Bill, Middle Belt Development Authority Bill and the Coastal Belt Development Bill.