The Member of Parliament for Damongo and former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, has affirmed that the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) received bipartisan backing, including from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, 22 December, Mr Abu Jinapor clarified that the NDC did not oppose the creation of the office.
“The NDC did not oppose the establishment of the OSP. The committee brought a unanimous report, and indeed the ranking member at the time, who is now the Attorney-General Dominic Ayine, spoke in favour of the establishment of the OSP,” he stated.
Reflecting on the rationale behind the Akufo-Addo government’s decision to establish the OSP, Mr Abu Jinapor, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the time, emphasised the importance of having a dedicated institution to combat corruption.
“I was very much involved. It is one that I believe is noble; it is one that I believe should be commended, which was to get an office dedicated to fighting corruption,” he added.
The former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources said discussions about the OSP have become overly personalised, a trend he warned undermines a fair and honest assessment of the institution’s mandate, performance and future relevance.
“I think the conversations about the OSP should be discussed dispassionately, and it should be hard,” he said, stressing that scrutiny of the anti-corruption body must be rigorous but free from emotion and personal attacks.
Mr Abu Jinapor emphasised that the debate surrounding the OSP should not be reduced to the personality of the Special Prosecutor.
“These conversations shouldn’t be about the person of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng,” he said, adding that institutions should be assessed based on their structures, effectiveness and outcomes rather than the character of their leaders.
He noted that the OSP was established as part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s anti-corruption framework and therefore deserves a balanced appraisal that examines whether it is adequately resourced, properly integrated into the justice system and sufficiently empowered to fulfil its mandate.
The Damongo MP urged political actors, civil society and the media to elevate the discussion by focusing on reforms that can improve institutional efficiency and accountability, arguing that constructive, institution-focused criticism would better serve the national interest and the fight against corruption.