The Special Prosecutor, in his speech at the Constitution Day Public Lecture, outlined the dangers that he and his colleagues face in their unrelenting battle against corruption.
“The position of Special Prosecutor is a thankless job. It fetches you droves of enemies daily and brings you into direct confrontation with the lowest forms of debasement in humans. You do not go asking for it; it finds you,” he stated, underscoring the precarious nature of his work.
“Everyone wants the Special Prosecutor to do his job, yet no one wants the Special Prosecutor to do his job. It all depends on the subject of the investigation,” he remarked, highlighting the entrenched reluctance to submit to the mechanisms of justice.
The Special Prosecutor claimed that the criticism of corruption probes is intense and never-ending.
“Though we accept that we need to rein in corruption, no one wants to yield freely to scrutiny. No one happily accedes to indictment. No one welcomes investigations. No one wants to be called out as a suspect in corruption-related activities. And so, there is always a strong pushback, intended to deflect focus from scrutiny and accountability,” he said.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is the target of filthy publications, smear campaigns, and coordinated attacks, among other forms of pushback, he said.
More concerning, he said, are the threats that occasionally went beyond simple harm to one’s reputation to potentially fatal circumstances.
“Some of the enemies this job attracts will not hesitate to take a life should the opportunity present itself,” he warned, stressing that both he and his operational officers live under constant threat.
“Thus, my security risk is ultra high, and I have to perpetually be on the lookout for attacks on my person.”
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
