A deputy Attorney General Godfred Dame has stated the government is flouting no law as it plans to set up Office of an Independent Prosecutor.
The office of an Independent Prosecutor was a major campaign tool of the New Patriotic Party, which won the 2016 elections, but the Minority National Democratic Congress believes the plan will hit a snag because it is against the laws of the country.
However, Dame has laughed off the Minority’s threat, arguing the bill that will be sent to parliament to give birth to the Office of an Independent Prosecutor will settle the dust.
“The Independent Prosecutor role is constitutional,” the lawyer told host of Starr Chat Bola Ray. “There will be an Act of Parliament to back it about its role and how it will operate.”
According to him, the main aim behind the Independent Prosecutor concept is to empower a body with prosecutorial role to deal with government appointees unlike the Attorney General whose hands are sometimes clipped.
“The Attorney General has always been part of the Executive… but the whole architecture says the Attorney General is part of the Executive.
“So the question comes up as to whether the AG will have the requisite power to prosecute members of the administration… and Nana Akufo-Addo sees wisdom in an Independent Prosecutor to prosecute specific cases. The AG will have the powers to delegate powers of prosecution. The office of the Independent Prosecutor will be set up to deal with corruption among others and that clearly fits into the constitutional set up.
“There is no conflict with the AG’s office,” the deputy attorney general opined.
Respected lawyer Akoto Ampaw is highly tipped to become the Independent Prosecutor.
