Parliament has passed the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill amidst controversy over whether the Prosecutor should be immune from prosecution.
With the passage of the bill, government is now free to appoint an independent prosecutor and allocate resources for the office.
The office of the Special Prosecutor will have the mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged corruption under the Public Procurement Act 203 Act 63 and other corruption-related offenses implicating public officers, political office holders and their accomplices in the public sector. The Prosecutor will also be mandated to trace and recover the proceeds of corruption.
Speaking to this during the presentation of the 2018 budget and financial statement in parliament, Thursday, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta stated that the Special Prosecutor’s office will be catered for following the passage of the bill.
“This is a significant move in the overwhelming national desire to fight corruption…The Office of the special prosecutor is getting ready to crack the whip of justice” he said.
