Apart from the fact that it is not clear whether or not the bad relationship between the NDC and Hon . Martin Amidu over the years,which is known to all in Ghana, will meet the test for an independent prosecutor, the other worrying development is that it is as if the Special Prosecutor's mandate is to prosecute former NDC appointees.
This is just political noise because citizens have the option of sending petition to the Special Prosecutor to deal with. In fact the effectiveness, respect and potency of this vehicle to fight corruption depends on how the office of the Special Prosecutor responds to petitions by citizens,especially regarding alleged corruption by the appointees of the current government . Citizens should be ready to petition the office to ensure balanced and fair approach to fighting corruption.
Ghana, like any other country, have been prosecuting alleged crime and wrongdoing over the years. The Special Prosecutor is only special because specific cases will be assigned,apart from that nothing will be different .
We should also bear in mind that the Special Prosecutor is not a Judge, he will meet defense counsels in court to put his case forward, indeed nothing has changed.
To fight corruption effectively leadership is key. People faced firing squad in this country in the past but corruption rather flourished over the years . Let us move on and deal with factors that breed corruption in public and civil service and deal with how political parties are funded to fight corruption.
We used special tribunals in the past and a decade ago we thought FastTrack High Court could help . Prosecution alone does not curb corruption.
It is good to have speedy and fair prosecution but we must do what other countries have done to reduce corruption .
By:Amofa Baffo
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