President Akufo-Addo never intended to fight corruption with the OSP establishment

It is often said that Politics is a dirty game. I fundamentally disagree with such an assertion because it is rather dirty people who make Politics dirty while good people use Politics as a good vehicle to provide selfless and committed political leadership to solving pressing policy, social, economic, and environmental problems in society.

Despite a well-choreographed political message particularly on fighting corruption under the candidature of President Akufo-Addo in Opposition then, his real actions now badly betrayed him!

It is without doubt that President Akufo-Addo never intended to fight corruption with the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) but to only win elections. President Akufo-Addo cleverly made Ghanaians believe then that he was not corrupt and so would ‘protect the public purse’ if given the nod as President of our Republic. This turned out to be a great deceit!

Additionally, he also made anti-corruption campaigners and well-meaning Ghanaians happy for a moment when he said during his plagiarised inaugural speech that his appointees should quit his government if their intention was to make money. He said should rather go to the private sector to make their money there. This was a remarkable public pronouncement!

True to his word, the OSP was established in 2018 to serve as the ‘gold standard and flagship specialised independent anti-corruption institution in Ghana, in pursuance of the United Nations Convention against corruption’ (see OSP's website for details). The OSP Act, 2017 (959) with supporting 2018 L.I (2373) and 2018 L. I (2374) with specific regulations and operations regulations respectively give massive investigative, prosecutorial, police, intelligence gathering, surveillance, counter-surveillance, national security, and revenue-generating powers to the OSP for purposes of suppression and repression of corruption in Ghana.

To better garnish his half-hearted intentions of fighting corruption, President Akufo-Addo decided to appoint the no-nonsense former Attorney General and Minister of Justice under the regime of President Mills and former running mate to President Mills, Hon. Martin A.B.K. Amidu of the NDC stock as the maiden OSP in a temporary office location on 11th January 2018. Again, President Akufo-Addo was given applause for that! Not knowing it was much ado about nothing. This decision to appoint Mr. Amidu turned out to be a gargantuan political gamble for
President Akufo-Addo.

Hon. Amidu ended up resigning on 16th November 2020 and citing deliberate ‘presidential bottlenecks’ to his work as the OSP when he particularly did a preliminary investigation analysis on the botched Agyapa deal. Mr. Amidu did not mince words but called President Akufo-Addo the ‘Mother Serpent of Corruption’. To date, President Akufo-Addo has done anything to redeem his sinking image in the fight against the raging corruption under his regime.

In fact, the feet-dragging in terms of resourcing the OSP office and staffing also contributed to the first OSP resigning from his post. Now, the appointment of Mr. Kissi Agyebeng on 22nd July 22, 2021, as the current OSP by the President and supported by the deputy OSP, Ms. Cynthia Jane N. K. Lamptey has no strategy, in my opinion, in fighting the corruption menace.

On several occasions, the current OSP complained of understaffing, and lack of resources to better operate the office due to inadequate budget allocations from the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia- led government. Currently, Mr. Agyebeng appears to be very frustrated at the way he is being stifled in doing his work as the OSP to suppress and repress corruption. Cecilia Dapaah’s Cash hoarding case is a classical case in point. This is clear inditement on President Addo-Addo’s
presidency as he is looking on helplessly while corruption is booming under his watch now.

President Akufo-Addo and the NPP told Ghanaians in 2016 that President Mahama’s regime was corrupt and the incorruptible President Akufo-Addo would act differently. But it rather became an exercise in futility in the fight against corruption. Interestingly, the worst performance of former President Mahama in terms of fighting corruption has become the best performance of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government although President Mahama was touted to be so-called highly corrupt.

For instance, the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) recorded 43% in 2016 reduced from 45% in 2012 and 2013 as well as 46% in 2014 and 47% in 2015 under President Mahama while President Akufo-Addo lowered the CPI to 40% in 2017 and it has been 43% till date. What an appalling performance and anti-climax in the fight against corruption under President Akufo-Addo!

President Akufo-Addo never had any genuine commitment to fighting corruption as
evidenced by his government being riddled with numerous corruption scandals despite the presence of the OSP. President Mahama is vindicated by his frantic efforts to curb corruption during his time as President as opposed to what we are experiencing appallingly now under this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government.