Special prosecutor will be ruthless in dealing with corruption – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo Addo has said the yet to be named Special Prosecutor will show no mercy in dealing with corrupt cases no matter the indentity of the individual who’ll be caught up by the law.

According to him, whoever is caught on the wrong side of the law will have to suffer the consequences, adding that corruption which has bedeviled the country will not thrive under his watch as President.

The much anticipated Special Prosecutor is expected to be named some time beyond May 2017, after a Bill to pass into law establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor, is laid in Parliament when the House reconvenes, Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid has revealed.

Addressing the Chiefs and People of Obemeng, Kwahu in the Eastern Region as part of the Easter festivities on Saturday, President Akufo Addo said he’ll not in anyway influence the work to be done by the Special Prosecutor.

“Those who have stolen Ghana’s money and others who will steal will have themselves to blame as the independent Special Prosecutor will go at them. He’s going to do his work, I shouldn’t be accused of witch-hunting people when the officer starts work.

Office of Special Prosecutor [independent body] is going to take care of issues of corruption in our country from now going on, and it will be very soon. The Bill will be laid in Parliament for the Special Prosecutor’s work to be legal.”

The NPP in its 2016 manifesto Chapter 12, page 135, titled ‘Governance, Corruption and Public Accountability,’ promised to “establish, by an Act of Parliament, an Office of the Special Prosecutor.”

The party has indicated that the office would be “independent of the Executive, investigate and prosecute certain categories of cases and allegations of corrupton and other criminal wrongdoing, including those involving alleged violations of the Public Procurement Act and cases implicating political officeholders and politicians.”

A section of the public especially some members of the opposition NDC have expressed apprehension with some asserting the office of the Special Prosecutor would be used to witch-hunt former government officials under the esrtwhile Mahama administration.