Open letter to Paul Adom-Otchere

Dear Paul,

There is no denying the fact that you have become the hatchet man for the faceless cowards in the current government who are uncomfortable with the independent disposition of the Special Prosecutor.

You have converted your platform, which hitherto provided useful information and education on issues of national importance into attacking personalities and institutions.

The most recent being your Thursday, 7th December 2023 edition, where you subjected the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to vilification without justification.

It's sickening to note that, ever since Cecilia Dapaah gave you "Anwamo" (as disclosed by you on TV), you have crescendoed your attacks on the Special Prosecutor at every least occasion. No edition of your show goes without the description of Kissi Agyebeng in derogatory terms.

Paul, while it is within your inalienable right to take up the difficult task of a hatchet man, the discerning public who occasionally chance on excerpts of your show on social media expects a "better" job. At least, apply some tact and finesse because your modus operandi is crude, to say the least!

How do you gleefully display a confidential document of a law enforcement agency on national TV, when a few weeks ago, you [Paul] accused the OSP of feeding the media with bank details of your "darling" "Anwamo-Giver?" Your motivation to publish that document dated, 2nd September 2021 (one month after Kissi Agyebeng was appointed SP) is telling.

Sadly, even though your allegations of leakage were unfounded, you berated the OSP, and here you are sharing a confidential document — expecting to be applauded. You cannot eat from the two sides of your mouth — it is a dangerous thing to do.

Paul, l am sorry, but the judgment out there, which l believe to be true is that you don't care about the future of this country as you would want to portray. All you're interested in, is doing the bidding of your paymasters. You cannot approbate and reprobate. Practice what you preach, "Apostle"!

l am not in any way suggesting that the OSP and the SP are immune from criticisms. Far from that. However, criticisms of a public office and its head must be constructive, not destructive as we continue to witness in your monologue.

Paul, I know you know for a fact that the vehicles you displayed on your touchscreen are "Special Purpose Vehicles" which take between several months and years to build depending on the specs. They are manufactured per customer order/demand.

They're not your regular cars on the streets which you can walk into any garage and buy, and as a journalist of your caliber, l expect you to know this. Bulletproofs/armor-plated windscreens and parts are installed only on durable cars, therefore seeing Mercedes, BMW, and Land Cruiser as part of the SPVs is not out of place, knowing their level of durability.

Every serious anti-corruption institution around the globe has bulletproof vehicles considering the security risk associated with their work. The Police, Immigration, NIB, National Security et al use specialized vehiches (armored) for their operations, and continue to procure more.

Go to Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the advanced jurisdictions and see for yourself the SPVs their law enforcement agencies use. It is disingenuous on your part to create a picture in the minds of your unsuspecting viewers as though, these special-purpose vehicles in question are for the personal use of Kissi Agyebeng. How is that even possible?

Mind you; intelligence in security will tell you that Special Purpose Vehicles are not for everyday use. They are for covert operations. For instance, how do you detect and prevent acts of corruption as an OSP official in an affluent and sophisticated enclave driving in a Toyota Corolla or Toyota Yaris as part of your surveillance? You don't think you'd leave traces and endanger your own life?

In any event, l don't think President Akufo-Addo and his Cabinet, as well as Parliament, who promulgated Act 959 for the creation of the OSP were unaware of the huge cost associated with the fight against corruption.

How do you reconcile Cabinet's approval of the budget for procurement of these vehicles for the start and operationalization of a new law enforcement agency and your claims of the Special Prosecutor wasting public money? Your proposition on the subject is an insult to President Akufo-Addo and his cabinet ministers. You're virtually telling them they don't know what they are about. And that's sad!

Your reckless conduct, vis-a-vis, the display of confidential documents and specs of SPV of a law enforcement agency has dire consequences for the OSP and its staff, and l expect security analysts, CSOs, and voices of reason to call you to order!

And lest l forget, how could you descend so low and describe a "43-year old" man (even though he's 45) as a "small boy?" What has the old age of Methuselah got to do with the intelligence of King Solomon? What has come over you, Paul?

The other day you made claims that the OSP has only ten lawyers and 300 staff. The rationale and/or logic behind your claim is lost. Firstly, the number of staff on the OSP is public knowledge. In fact, as of September 2023, the office had a staff strength of 249, something the Special Prosecutor reiterated in his recent presser.

Now, let me provide you with some education to cure your inherent mischief and/or ignorance or both: The OSP has 7 Divisions — not everybody at OSP must be a lawyer. Some are IT, some are investigators, some are with asset recovery, some are human resources, some are operational staff, some are finance staff, etc.

How then do you expect all 249 to be lawyers or even 40 to be lawyers? Where from this mindset? Do you understand the nuances of corruption investigations?

Kissi Agyebeng, whom you have turned into a punching bag neither created the Office of the Special Prosecutor nor made himself the Special Prosecutor. He is an occupant of the office. He will exit when his time is due, therefore personalizing everything about the OSP is most unfortunate.

REPENT ooo, Paul! Stop fighting persons and institutions mandated to fight corruption.

Yours Sincerely,

Sir-Obama Pokuase