Member of Parliament Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, is of the view that the Office of the Special Prosecutor gets frustrated by the court system and believes trial in the media works for him.
To him, there is a need for the Special Prosecutor to make the laws of the country work rather than throw people out in the media to be crucified.
“Let the law work. This is the problem I’ve always had with the OSP. It is the same thing he did in the case of Charles Bissue. He gets frustrated with the court processes, and so he thinks the trial in the media works for him, but that is not the Ghana we all dreamt of,” he stated on Channel 1 Television.
To him, the OSP does not need the presence of Ken Ofori Atta to carry out his investigation because he can choose not to speak even when he appears before him.
“Yes. So what is the status of Ken Ofori Atta as far as the OSP’s investigation? Has he charged him? Is he a person of interest? What power does he even have to declare him wanted without recourse to the court of law? Ghana is a creation of law; we must respect the laws of this country. It is the same thing he did with Charles Bissue, let me tell you, he had come out and made the media believe that he had procured an order for arrest and so there was a whole broadcast in this country that he had procured an order for arrest. It was on that basis that the judge made the order for interim injunction. Subsequently, he says there is no order for arrest because he is aware that sitting in his office he does not have the power, he must go to the district court to procure an order for arrest,” he said.
He continued, “Under the constitution of Ghana, you have the right not to incriminate yourself. That is why when a policeman confronts you on a matter, he reads you your caution statement that you have the right to remain silent; otherwise, anything you say will be used against you in a court of competent jurisdiction. What it simply means is that even if I appear in your office, I can choose not to talk and so invariably, you don’t need me to proceed with your investigations because I cannot speak to incriminate myself and so the presence of Ofori Atta in the office of the special prosecutor is unnecessary”.
