The Member of Parliament for Mpreaso, Davis Opoku Ansah has jumped to the defense of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after a High Court ruling ordered it to hand over all criminal prosecution to the Attorney-General.
Davis Opoku Ansah, who doubles as Vice Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), posits that Article 88(4) of the 1992 Constitution empowers the Office to prosecute corruption-related offences without authorisation from the Attorney-General.
Speaking to Citi News, the Mpraeso MP argued that Parliament acted within its constitutional remit when it established the Office.
“To suggest that the OSP should now go to the Attorney General and seek its mandate to prosecute, ceases the purpose for which Parliament set up the office.
“The AG cannot decide which cases the OSP sits on. If tomorrow the AG is engulfed in corruption matters and the OSP wants to investigate the AG, we are now being told that by reason of Article 88(4), OSP should go to the AG to seek authorization for it.
“Then what is the essence of establishing this independent body to prosecute corruption related matters? It is this same mandate that EOCO uses and the same mandate that other investigative bodies of the state uses and they are able to prosecute so why are we isolating the OSP from it?” he questioned.
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