The Special Prosecutor Nominee, Mr Kissi Agyebeng says he cannot fight corruption entirely in the country when he is approved as the new SP but he will make it very expensive for perpetrators.
He said this while being vetted in Parliament on Thursday, July 22, 2021 by the Appointments Committee.
On 16th April 2021, the Attorney General, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame nominated Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, under section 13(3) of Act 959, to the President for consideration as the second occupant of the Office of Special Prosecutor.
It will be recalled that President Akufo-Addo accepted the resignation from office of Mr. Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor on 16th November 2020, and, in accordance with section 13(8) of the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), is required to appoint a replacement within six (6) months of the position becoming vacant.
The President therefore wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, on April 29, 2021, seeking Parliament’s approval of the appointment.
When approved by Parliament, Mr Agyebeng will replace Mr Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu, who resigned on November 15, 2020.
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Speaking at Parliament during his vetting, Mr Kissi Agyebeng said, “I am not naïve to assume that I am coming to stop corruption. There is no way I can stop corruption, God himself would not even acclaim to that, but I am going to make corruption very costly to engage in.”
Although He was of the view that unexplained wealth must be criminalized if it does not match one’s lawful income, he said the criminalization on unexplained wealth will depend on the defense of the person who is involved.
Meanwhile, Mr Kissi Agyebeng also denied getting involved in the Agyapa deal as claimed by Martin Amidu.
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Who is Kissi Agyebeng
Mr Kissi Agyebeng is a legal practitioner, and Chairman of the Electronic Communications Tribunal.
The Electronic Communications Tribunal, which he currently chairs, is the body which determines appeals from parties aggrieved by decisions of the National Communications Authority (NCA) on issues such as the closure of radio stations – and one of the best-known lawyers in the country.
He is the Managing Partner of Cromwell Gray LLP, a law firm based in Accra.
According to his profile on the University of Ghana School of Law website, Mr Agyebeng has been a lecturer since October 2006, teaching and researching into Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Law, Corporate Law and Legal Research and Writing.
He was awarded the Bentsi-Enchill Prize for Best Graduating Student of the University of Ghana School of Law in 2001.
He proceeded to the Ghana School of Law and was called to the Ghana Bar in October 2003, earning the E.N. Sowah Memorial Prize for Best Student in Family Law.
Since then, he has successfully argued numerous cases before the superior courts of Ghana and participated in several international arbitration hearings.
Mr Agyebeng has a wide range of expertise in consulting for public sector institutions, including the A-G’s Department, EXIM Bank Ghana Ltd, the Youth Employment Authority, the National Lottery Authority, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited and the Ghana Olympic Committee.
He is also an associate at the African Centre for Cyber Law and Cyber Crime Prevention and the National Moot Court Coordinator for the Commonwealth Moot Court Competition on International Criminal Justice.
He has also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
Writer’s email: [email protected]
