Participants at a day’s dialogue have called on the government to extend the activities and operations of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) across the regions so as to deal or discourage corruption- related activities in the country.
They contended that corruption was not only a national issue but equally prevalent at the local level, hence the need to establish at least Zonal Offices in the regions saying the current arrangement appear too cumbersome for people who intend to report citizens or officials to law enforcement agencies.
The participants also urged the Attorney General to include custodial sentences to public officials who embezzled state funds instead of the current plea bargain regime to serve as a deterrent.
This came to light at a day’s dialogue organised by CDD-Ghana in collaboration with the OSP at Sunyani yesterday in the Bono Region.
The dialogue sponsored by GIZ and co-funded by the European Union forms part of a broader initiative aimed at strengthening accountability institutions and enhancing citizen engagement in anti-corruption reforms in Ghana.
The primary objective of this engagement is to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the OSP framework, identify gaps within the existing legal regime and build consensus around necessary reforms.
Participants at the programme included traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and policymakers, Persons with Disabilities, media and students from the tertiary institutions.
As part of the dialogue, the stakeholders reviewed and validated the findings of an 8- year assessment report of the OSP conducted by consultants of CDD-Ghana.
An official of OSP, Mr Bright Sowuh, in a presentation announced that his outfit for the past eight years had recovered GH¢ 35.14 million with GH¢7.8 billion losses averted.
According to him, 31 persons were currently standing trial with seven convictions and seven suspended transactions.
A lecturer and consultant at the University of Ghana, Dr Zechariah Langnal, on his part called on Ghanaians to resist any attempt by politicians to collapse the OSP, saying that would erode the gains being made by the office and the fight against corruption in the country.
From DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI
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