Special Prosecutor seeks support of religious leaders in corruption fight

The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has appealed to religious leaders to collaborate with his outfit in combating corruption.

He made the call on the back of Ghana’s stagnant position on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) which he said highlights the country’s lack of progress in the fight against corruption.

According to Mr. Agyebeng, the clerics’ involvement in combating corruption will yield good results, considering their personalities.

Ghana attained a score of 43 out of a possible 100, securing the 70th position out of 180 countries and territories in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2023, released by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

This marks the fourth consecutive year of stagnation in Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts, according to the CPI. Four out of six Sub-Saharan African countries that maintained a stagnant score for four or more consecutive years experienced a subsequent decline in their CPI score the following year, representing a concerning trend.

Mr. Agyebeng, while addressing the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council Conference of Heads of Churches and Organizations on Thursday, February 15, 2024, urged church leaders to leverage their pulpits, platforms, and influence to denounce and deliver sermons against corrupt behaviour and lifestyles.

He posed a question, stating, “With 71 percent of Ghanaians identifying as Christians, how is it that we still struggle with corruption?”

He also observed that Ghana is aware of the medicine that can cure corruption but hesitates to take it because it is bitter.

Furthermore, he called on the religious leaders to actively partake in the fight against corruption in the country.

“We need greater attention on this one. If the representatives of God among us actively take on the corruption fight, we’ll attain remarkable heights. So please join us, by publicly calling corrupt activities. Please join us in making explicit linkages between corruptions and the vices we decry as unchristian in fervent defence of the state.”