Samuel Abu Jinapor, Member of Parliament for Damongo
Accra, Ghana- Samuel Abu Jinapor, Member of Parliament for Damongo and former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has opposed calls by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga for the abolition of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), insisting the institution was established with noble intent and must be strengthened, not scrapped.
Contributing to debate in Parliament on Thursday, Jinapor who served as Deputy Chief of Staff during the creation of the OSP, said the office was conceived by the Akufo-Addo administration to provide a dedicated body to investigate and prosecute corruption independently. “The intent and motivation behind the Akufo-Addo government’s effort and decision to create this office was a noble one,” Jinapor said. “The general intent was to ensure that we had a dedicated office focused on fighting corruption, unravelling corruption, investigating corruption, and punishing corruption.”
He acknowledged that questions remain about the constitutionality of the OSP under Article 88(4) of the 1992 Constitution, which vests prosecutorial powers in the Attorney General, but said such issues are not settled and do not warrant dissolving the office. “The legal question, in my view, is not absolutely settled,” he explained. “Several institutions EOCO, the Police Service, even SSNIT conduct criminal prosecutions. The question is whether the Office of the Special Prosecutor is exercising delegated prosecutorial powers. The answer to that, I think, is still at large.”
Abu Jinapor urged Parliament to approach the matter in good faith, emphasizing that it was this very House that enacted the law establishing the OSP and therefore should focus on reforms, not abolition. “It is this Parliament that enacted a law to establish the Office of Special Prosecutor,” he said. “The intention of President Akufo-Addo and his government is one that we should celebrate, he intended to set up an office dedicated to fighting corruption.”
He questioned the timing of Mahama Ayariga’s renewed opposition to the OSP, suggesting that the Majority Leader’s call to abolish the office stemmed from recent controversies involving lawyer Martin Kpebu, who was briefly detained by the OSP. “Because one of their own was touched,” Jinapor remarked pointedly. “When the law is applied unfairly against someone on your side, suddenly it becomes a problem. The law must work fairly for all of us whether it’s Wuntumi, Paul Adom Otchere, or Martin Kpebu.”
He argued that Ghana’s problem is not the existence of institutions like the OSP, but rather the selective application of laws and political inaction. “The country is sick and tired of talk too much talking. If you believe the OSP is unconstitutional, you have the super majority. Repeal it,” Jinapor challenged. “The law must work for all of us, regardless of where you sit in this House.”
Abu Jinapor said the lesson from the recent debate was that due process and equal application of the law must guide Ghana’s democracy. “It should not be the case that the Office of the Special Prosecutor suddenly should be scrapped because Martin Kpebu has been taken through a raw deal,” he cautioned. “When the law is applied unfairly against a citizen, it doesn’t matter whether he’s from the North or South, NDC or NPP. Let us insist on fairness that is our only safeguard.”
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