We need sufficient funding to fight corruption – OSP

Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, has reiterated the call for adequate budgetary allocation for the office in its fight against corruption.

In a Half Yearly Report (ending June 2023), the Special Prosecutor lamented that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) continued to work without an established budget.

“We continue to emphasise the need for the State to pay particular attention to the funding needs of the Office,” Mr Agyebeng stated in the report.

He said the Office had proven that with sufficient funding, it was best placed to prevent and reduce the menace of corruption and corruption-related activities.

“It is in our collective interest to build a resilient, independent, and technologically advanced Office of the Special Prosecutor to stay ahead of and effectively repress corruption and corruption-related actors,” he said.

In the half year report, the OSP is pursuing four criminal cases in court, conducting investigations into nine suspected corruption and corruption-related offences, concluded four investigations, with 150 other cases at various levels of consideration.

The criminal cases include, the Republic versus Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, Patrick Seidu, and Andrew Kuundaari, who are facing 11 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences on procurement.

In the case of the Republic versus Issah Seidu, Mr Seidu, an official of the National Insurance Commission (NIC) has been charged with failing to comply with a directive to declare his income and property.

Mr Seidu and three others are also being investigated for their roles in suspected corruption in the importation of 10,000 bags of rice.

There is also the Republic versus Adjenim Boateng Adjei and another, where the former Chief Executive of Public Procurement Authority and his brother-in-law are being tried on procurement issues by using public office for profit.

Mr Adjei has been charged with eight counts of using public office for profit and nine counts of directly and indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of public contracts.

His brother-in-law has been charged with one count of using public office for profit.

The fourth criminal case before the court involves Mr Alexander Kwabena Sarfo-Kantanka, the President’s nominee for the position of Chief Executive of Juaben Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region, who have been charged with 26 counts of corruption in respect of a public election.

One of the cases that the OSP has concluded investigations into involves Mr Charles Adu Boahen, a former Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.

It is over corruption allegations arising from an investigative piece “Galamsey Economy”, published by Tiger Eye P.I. and investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

The OSP said it had also had concluded investigation into allegations of the use of public office for profit against Charles Bissue, during his tenure as Secretary to the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

It also arose from an investigative documentary titled “Galamsey Fraud Part I” published by Tiger Eye P.I. and investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

Investigations into allegations of attempt to bribe members of majority caucus of Parliament by unnamed and wealthy businessman has also been concluded, the OSP stated in the half year report.

It has also concluded investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the procurement and the award of a contract to Turfsport Ghana Limited by the Gaming Commission of Ghana.