The Minority is questioning the usefulness of the Office of the Special Prosecutor since its establishment.
The group said the Office of the Special Prosecutor has not been able to successfully prosecute a single case for corruption for onward punishment.
A special prosecutor is a prosecutor who is independent of an office that would normally exercise jurisdiction in a criminal investigation—to avoid potential conflicts of interest or to facilitate subject matter area expertise. At the federal level, under 28 CFR § 600.1, a special prosecutor is referred to as a “special counsel,” and may be appointed by the attorney general to criminally investigate an individual or matter in cases where a Justice Department investigation would present a conflict of interest, or in other “extraordinary circumstances.” Under Supreme Court precedent in Morrison v. Olson, Congress may also appoint a special counsel through the passage of legislation.
Notable special counsels in U.S. history include Ken Starr of the Clinton Whitewater investigation and Lawrence Walsh of the Iran-Contra Affair.
Speaking to journalists, the minority chief whip Governs Kwame Agbodza said the office is needless in the face of the numerous investigating bodies in the country.
The group also demanded the payment of ghc4 billion debt owed to the District Assembly Common Fund by the government before the presentation of the midyear budget review by the finance minister on July 25.
Story by: Osei Akoto (Teacher Kojo) / Ahotoronline.com
