Special Prosecutor Nominee Kissi Agyebeng To Be Vetted July 22
Kissi Agyebeng, the legal scholar nominated by Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame for the role of Special Prosecutor, will be vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on July 22.
This revelation was contained in a statement issued by the Office of the Clerk of Parliament on July 12. Agybeng’s vetting has been scheduled for 10 am on the said date.
The role of the Special Prosecutor was designed and legitimised by the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and comes as part of the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government’s efforts towards prosecuting issues of corruption and financial loss to the state.
In April this year, the Attorney-General, who is also the Minister of Justice, wrote to the Presidency, indicating that “Kissi Agyebeng possesses the requisite expertise on corruption and corruption-related matters, is of high moral character and proven integrity and satisfies all the other requirements stipulated in section 13(1) and (2) of Act 959″.
The president accepted Dame’s recommendation and asked Parliament to expedite the confirmation process of the nominee “so he can assume position without delay”.
If confirmed, 43-year-old Agyebeng will be only Ghana’s second-ever substantive Special Prosecutor.
After the resignation of Martin Amidu in November of 2020, the Deputy Special Prosecutor, Jane Cynthia Naa Korshie Lamptey, was asked to temporarily fill the vacancy.
Profile of Kissi Agyebeng
Agyebeng is a private legal practitioner who has argued numerous cases before the Superior Courts of Ghana and has also been engaged in several international business transactions.
He is also a lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law, teaching and researching criminal law, international humanitarian law, international law, and corporate law.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Ghana and two Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University (Marine and Environmental Law) and Cornell Law School (Corporate Law and Securities Regulation).
He is however more famously recognised as the lawyer for investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.