Private legal practitioner, Justice Srem Sai says he is not surprised by the petition filed by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu to remove the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, from office. 

According to Mr. Sai, any office established to fight corruption must anticipate pushback, hence the recent development.

In an interview with Citi FM on Saturday, May 18, Mr. Sai highlighted that all institutions designed to combat corruption are experiencing similar levels of resistance.

• Read also: Martin Amidu can’t judge Kissi Agyebeng by his ‘low standards’ – Suhuyini

He emphasised that this trend is not unique to the Office of the Special Prosecutor but affects all anti-corruption bodies.

Mr. Sai described this situation as concerning and urged all well-meaning Ghanaians to be vigilant about the direction the country is heading. 

He stressed that the persistent pushback against anti-corruption efforts poses a significant threat to good governance and accountability in Ghana.

“It did not come to me as a surprise that someone is seeking to remove the OSP from the office and that is from the background that any office which is set up to fight corruption, as we have casually put it on the street, corruption will fight back."

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" I don’t think this is peculiar to the Special Prosecutor’s office but any other office that is set up to fight corruption should be ready to face some of these instances. So I’m not surprised that there’s a petition," he said.

This follows the revelation that Martin Amidu had petitioned President Akufo-Addo to remove the current Special Prosecutor.

Mr Amidu's petition, dated April 30, 2024, was swiftly forwarded to Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo on May 6, 2024, indicating the seriousness with which the matter was regarded.

In his petition, Mr Amidu cited procurement irregularities in the acquisition of vehicles for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and alleged misconduct involving judges and the administration of justice. 

Moreover, he raised concerns about infringements on citizens' rights through arrests and detentions, violations of the right to information, and questionable appointments within the OSP.

Chief Justice asks Kissi Agyebeng to respond to impeachment allegations

Meanwhile, the Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, has instructed the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng to provide his comments on the matters raised in a petition seeking his impeachment. According to her, this step is crucial in determining the appropriate course of action to be taken regarding the impeachment process.

Per the directive, the Chief Justice underscored the judiciary's commitment to upholding due process and fairness in handling the matters.

“This is to forward to you a copy of the petition dated 30th April 2024 sent to the Office of the President which was forwarded to the Office of the Honourable Lady Chief Justice on 6 May 2024.

“Kindly provide your comments to the matters raised to enable the Honourable Chief Justice to determine if a prima facie case has been made,” portions of the letter said.