Special Prosecutor,Kissi Agyebenghas made clear, his relentlessness in chasing after corrupt individuals under his term, particularly persons involved in the menace of illegal mining (galamsey) in Ghana.
According to him, he is constantly fishing out for hints and information that will lead him to persons he needs to investigate for specific issues.
These persons he said, may either be invited or walk in on their own to assist with information or investigations.
Speaking on Joynews’ Newsfile program on Saturday, June 10, 2023, he noted that the various persons who come to him are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the issues at hand.
Detailing how it works, he noted that there are individuals who are invited by the Special Prosecutors as suspects. Such persons are informed to appear with their lawyers and in some cases, required to leave their statements.
“When you appear before us, the nature of how you appear before us is very crucial and very very important,” he said.
“if you are appearing before me as a suspect, I do not invite you, because it is a criminal investigation, I direct you and in the direction to show up, you are specifically told what we are investigating and the subject matter of what we are investigating. And then in the direction for you to come, we tell you that you are a person who is considered necessary for the investigation and a specific direction for you to show up at a specific address for the interview, then you are told your rights, that you may come with a counsel of your choice.
“But immediately I tell you to that you are directed to show up and that you should come with a lawyer, then you should know that you are a suspect and that goes for everyone who appears in that scheme of affairs,” he noted.
Whistle blowers:
Kissi Agyebengfurther noted that there are other individuals who are invited to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to assist the office with relevant information regarding an investigation.
Such people, according to him, are treated as whistleblowers whose information is vital for a specific investigation case. In such instances, these people are not required to come with lawyers and don’t have to write any statements.
“If you are my whistleblower, there’s a way I’ll contact you, there’s a way I’ll invite you, there’s a way I’ll talk to you because I need information from you.
“Now if I see you as a whistleblower, I consider you as a confidential source; I will not be telling you, that if you are appearing before me, come with your lawyer. Why would you need a lawyer if you are coming with some information which I will be interested in? he further noted.
The Special Prosecutor however noted that the status of individuals don’t matter when they are being invited or investigated for corruption. According to him, despite the fact that the OSP is keen on preserving the reputation of individuals by keeping their invitations closed till it’s over, they invite everyone regardless of their societal status.
“What I have before me and the nature of the things I’m dealing with, if I don’t act well, you are the same people who will come at me, in the middle of the investigation ‘why were you giving some people preferential treatment while others were not?” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor has noted that there are about 100 persons currently before him who are being investigated for corruption and corruption-related issues in illegal mining (galamsey), with about 10’s having begun the process.
