Kenneth Kwabena Agyei Kuranchie, the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Searchlight newspaper, has formally petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remove Kissi Agyebeng from his position as Ghana’s Special Prosecutor. In the petition, dated October 18, 2024, Kuranchie accuses Agyebeng of “stated misbehaviour” under Section 15.(1) of the Special Prosecutor Act, Act 959, which specifies the grounds and procedures for removing a Special Prosecutor.
The petition highlights several serious allegations, with Kuranchie asserting that Agyebeng has violated both his official oath and his mandate of secrecy. These alleged violations, Kuranchie argues, are compounded by conduct that could jeopardize Ghana’s economic stability and national security. According to Kuranchie, these actions warrant immediate scrutiny under the law.
A key issue raised in the petition involves alleged security screenings purportedly overseen by Agyebeng. Kuranchie claims that these screenings included polygraph tests conducted on 80% of the Special Prosecutor’s office staff. What makes this allegation particularly controversial is Kuranchie’s assertion that these tests were not administered by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), Ghana’s official security agency, but instead by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
Meanwhile, in July this year, the Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mr. Kuranchie challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). Kuranchie had filed a case against the Attorney General and the OSP, seeking a ruling to declare the OSP unconstitutional. In his writ, he requested the court to declare the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 957) as violating several articles of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. The act was initially established to allow the OSP to investigate specific allegations or suspicions of corruption involving public officers, politically exposed persons, and private sector individuals.
Kuranchie had previously filed a similar case against the OSP last year, which he later withdrew before filing this most recent case. As the petition now awaits a response from President Akufo-Addo, it has sparked debate over the legality of foreign involvement in Ghana’s investigative processes and raised questions about the implications for the nation’s legal and security frameworks.
