Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has described the creation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) as an ineffective measure in combating corruption.
According to him, the OSP as established by law, would not yield any substantial results in the fight against corruption.
Speaker Bagbin reiterated this during the consideration stage of the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022” on the floor of parliament yesterday.
This was after the chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi opposed a further proposed amendment for the prohibition of marriage or sexual intercourse between a human being and an animal to be stated categorically in the new law.
He argued that Ghana abounds with several laws against unnatural carnal knowledge in all forms hence there was no need for such provision in the new legislation.
However, MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor disagreed with the chairman and pointed out that despite existence of several laws against corruption in the country, the OSP Act categorically empowers the office with same tools and powers to fight menace.
The submission by Mr Dafeamekpor prompted Speaker Bagbin to renew his previous opposition to the creation of the OSP.
It would be recalled that contributing to the Appointments Committee report on the floor of Parliament for the approval of Mr Martin Amidu as the first Special Prosecutor in 2018, Mr. Bagbin who was Second Deputy Speaker stated, “I from the onset did not see the need for such an office because I believe strongly that if the Attorney General was properly supported, they could have done the same thing. My understanding of the constitutional provision is that it doesn’t also debar the president from appointing a Minister of Justice and also appointing an Attorney General. That is my understanding of the constitution.”
“As for the law you passed on the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, I did tell you that it was an act in futility, you were not going to achieve anything but you went ahead and passed it.”
He explained that the Minister of Justice is a political appointee whiles the Attorney General is a technical person who has the same rank in conditions of service to a minister of state.
