The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has faced criticism from the Minority in Parliament since it was established.
The group says that not a single example of corruption has been successfully prosecuted for punishment by the office of the Special Prosecutor.
The Minority Chief Whip, Governs Agbodza, stated at a press conference that the office was superfluous given the number of investigative agencies already in place in the nation.
“While some of us believe that that office was needless, because EOCO, CID, and financial crime unit offices can combine and do a good job, the government insisted that the OSP will do more jobs. Are you aware that as we speak, they have not been able to successfully prosecute a single case, and anybody punished? So the question is how useful is that office? So we are saying that other people could have done the same thing,” he noted.
Prior to the presentation of the mid-year budget review by the finance minister on July 25, Mr. Agbodza also demanded payment of the government’s 4 billion debt owing to the District Assemblies Common Fund.
“These monies when sent to the assemblies form part of the critical interventions the assemblies make in our various communities either it is used to fix the roof of that only basic school that is in your hometown, or it is used to support the district health directorate to provide places for the district health directorate to have a CHIPS compound or supposed to be used to support people who need critical health or even the feeder roads to be able to grid or reshape some of the roads while we wait for some of the major interventions by either feeder roads or highways and other things.”
“As we speak, the government owes about GH¢4 billion of these monies to the district assemblies… You and I have already paid the tax. The law says, set aside 5% of what you have already collected from us and pay that to the assemblies. We are told that the finance minister will present the budget on 25th July. It will be very helpful if the minister makes some releases to the common fund administration for onward transmission to the various district assemblies before the budget. It will make the presentation much more meaningful,” he said.
“As we speak, the government owes about GH¢4 billion of these monies to the district assemblies… You and I have already paid the tax. The law says, set aside 5% of what you have already collected from us and pay that to the assemblies. We are told that the finance minister will present the budget on 25th July. It will be very helpful if the minister makes some releases to the common fund administration for onward transmission to the various district assemblies before the budget. It will make the presentation much more meaningful,” he said
