MP for Tamale North, Alhasaan Sayibu Suhiyini
The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, has alleged that the individuals who championed the formation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had a hidden agenda that is different from the expectations of the public and civil society.
This claim follows recent remarks by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who labelled the OSP as an "office in futility" during a parliamentary address on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
The Speaker emphasised his belief that the OSP would not yield tangible results in the ongoing battle against corruption.
He maintained that the Attorney General's department should be decoupled from the Ministry of Justice for more effective governance.
In an interview on Joy News on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, and monitored by GhanaWeb, Suhuyini stated that individuals who advocated for the establishment of the OSP had a different, undisclosed vision for the anti-corruption unit.
He pointed to events since the OSP's inception as evidence supporting his conviction that the office's true purpose is not aligned with public expectations.
“The whole idea of setting up a special prosecutor, in my view, was aimed at achieving something other than what we all expected. Things that have happened since it was set up bears me out in my conviction that the office was set up for agenda other than what we all expected,” he said.
The Tamale North MP referenced the high anticipation surrounding the creation of the OSP, particularly when Martin Amidu was appointed as the first Special Prosecutor.
He noted that expectations were elevated, with the public and civil society viewing the OSP as a crucial tool in the fight against corruption.
However, the frustrations faced by Martin Amidu, and his subsequent resignation, raised doubts about whether the original intent behind the OSP was consistent with the goals of civil society and the Ghanaian public.
Drawing parallels with previous cases, Suhuyini referenced the controversies involving the former Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, and the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng.
He claimed that targeting individuals close to the government resulted in complications for both officials.
“That is the point I am making. I think that the people who promoted the setting up of the office had a different idea of what they wanted the office to achieve and that was not known to all of us. This is because we all have a very high expectation of that office, civil societies had high expectations of the office when it was set up and when Martin Amidu was appointed, the expectations even went out of the roof. People thought that this was the way to go.
"But when you look back and listen to Martin Amidu’s frustrations, you begin to wonder if indeed the aim of setting up that office was in synchrony with the aims of civil society organisations and Ghanaians in general. Martin Amidu’s problem so to speak got to the head when he touched the finance minister. The finance minister who is known to all to be the darling of the president and despite the opposition from even members of the opposition and even members from the NPP sides in parliament, he remains in office. When he touched him, his trouble started leading to his resignation from that office,” he said.
He continued: “Remember Domelevo, this trouble also started when he touched Osafo Marfo, who is the special advisor to the president. Now, Kissi Agyebeng, and he is also going after Cecilia Dapaah. If you look at the love letter that was exchanged between herself and the president, you will understand.”
To him, the intentions of those who supported the creation of the OSP was to tick the box of fighting corruption to create an impression, but not to actually fight it.
“I believe that the expectation of those who promoted the setting up of this office was that the office will be used to tick a box, to create the appearance of a commitment for the fight against corruption and also to go after political opponents,” he stated.
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