What are Agyebeng’s anti-corruption credentials aside being Anas’s lawyer? – Sammy Gyamfi asks

National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has echoed the view that Special Prosecutor nominee, Kissi Agyebeng, has no experiences to handle the top anti-corruption portfolio.

GhanaWeb monitored comments he made on Accra-based UTV’s Mpu Ne Mpu programme on Monday where he stressed that the general fight against corruption had been long lost by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.

Whiles admitting that Agyebeng was knowledgeable in law, he insisted that the nominee lacked experience in the fight against corruption, pointing out that, his only known record could be his association with investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

“He doesn’t have the clout, like the Minority Leader said, he lacks the credentials. He doesn’t have the weight, he doesn’t have the clout to fight corruption.”

Pushed by the host as to Agyebeng’s years as a lawyer, he clarified: “It is not about working for a long time, but you need a track record. If you go into any job, sometimes when you go for job interviews, you are asked about your experiences. What are this man’s experiences aside from being Anas’ lawyer?

“What is his experience in the fight against corruption? Which issue has come up in this country that he has independently spoken out about?” he quizzed.

Over the weekend, Executive Director for the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, echoed similar sentiments on Joy News’ news analysis programme News File, averring that the nominee lacked an anti-corruption track record.

“What is the track record of Kissi Agyebeng when it comes to anti-corruption and fighting corruption? Do we have any knowledge, any experience of Mr Kissi Agyebeng being in the trenches of the anti-corruption struggles in this country and my answer will be no.”

According to Braimah, probing the nominee's track record in the area of the corruption fight, however, should not distract from his being qualified to hold that office.

“In terms of the word qualification, I won’t take that away from him but we have to look at whether or not his track record in the anti-corruption struggle merits him such position,” he stated.

Asked whether Agyebeng, by virtue of being a lawyer for investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas could be said to have actively participated in some anti-corruption work, Braimah said others could also point out his role in the Smartty's bus branding scandal under the Mahama administration as having cancelled out his work with Anas.

“In relation to the Anas scenario you cite, people have also said well he was a lawyer for Smartty’s, and Smartty’s was the firm that was involved in the bus branding scandal so in that context, you can say well in one breath he was fighting for a journalist who was doing anti-corruption work but we are also having this situation where he was defending someone involved in one of the most scandalous acts in our 4th republic,” he stressed.

Agyebeng's nomination was made public last week via a letter from Attorney General Godfred Dame to the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The nomination is expected to be transmitted to Parliament for vetting and approval before the president formally swears the nominee into office.

The SP role was created under the Akufo-Addo-1 administration as an independent layer in the government's resolve to fight corruption.