If you are accused of corrupt behaviour, I will pursue you – Special Prosecutor

The Special Prosecutor (SP) has warned his office will go after anyone against whom corruption or corruption-related allegations are made.

According to Mr Kissi Agyabeng, if there are allegations of corruption against any member of the public, he will investigate the allegation thoroughly rather than turn a blind eye to it.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, the Special Prosecutor noted that “If there are accusations against you that you have seized excavators and (you are) unable to account for it, I won’t sleep over it, I will come after you.”

Similarly, he said he would go after any public officer against whom allegations of being unable to account for seized gold nuggets in his care or that the person has pocketed it.

“If there are allegations that you mismanaged the resources of the committee, I won’t sleep over it. I will come after you,” he pointed out.

His comments come in the wake of concerns over the arrest and subsequent bailing of the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng was invited by the OSP on May 16 as “a person necessary for the investigations” into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the activities and expenditure of the dissolved IMCIM.

He willingly honoured the invitation, however, events that ensued meant that Prof Frimpong-Boateng was a suspect. He was cautioned and granted bail, for which he says a friend had to stand surety, and officers of the OSP had to follow the friend to ascertain his residence.

Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor has secured an order from the court to arrest the former Secretary of the Committee.

Mr Agyebeng explained that “There have been allegations against these officers who sat at that Inter-Ministerial Committee. The Head of the Committee, Secretary to the Committee and other officers, and the dealings of the Committee were interfacing with those who were accused of being in the business of or the adventure of illegal mining. So this is the point we are coming from.”

According to him, they treat everyone the same in the course of the investigation, adding that no one is a saint in the eyes of the OSP.

He said however, that if the investigation proves that there is nothing against a person accused of corruption, the person is freed to go.