We’re Still Working To Operationalise Special Prosecutor Office – Kissi Agyabeng
Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, says he is still coming to terms with what he described as the teething problems of his office.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Agyabeng said he is still working to operationalise the office, which has been in existence since 2017.
“What we are doing now is we are actually building the ship as we are sailing… it has been established but hadn’t been set up and hadn’t been operationalized.”
Mr. Agyabeng said “not a single division” was in place when he took over.
The Special Prosecutor Act allows for a Finance and Administration division, Asset Recovery and Management division, Investigations division and Prosecutions division.
But in response to these challenges, he said dwelling on complaints would have been counterproductive.
“If I was going to figure out why we don’t have an HR or why don’t we have this division or why don’t we have that division, I don’t think it would have been helpful.”
He said one of the first steps in operationalising the office was moving to a new and spacious place.
Mr. Agyabeng noted that the absence of a bigger office would have prevented him from increasing his staff strength of nine.
“The main problem was space. There was no space [at the old office], so even if we were going to recruit today, the new staff would not get anywhere to sit.”
“I don’t have a board now, so for a lot of the things, I need the board’s approval, for instance, when you talk about recruitment and all that.”
“So the things I can do at my level without the board’s input, I am doing [them],” he said.