Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has advocated for a more robust asset declaration mechanism that would include verification and tracing of undeclared assets.
Delivering a keynote address at the High-Level Conference spearheaded by the African Union Advisory Board Against Anti-Corruption in Accra on June 6, Kissi Agyebeng said the legal regime must evolve to meet the sophistication of modern corruption schemes.
“The law always appears to be a step behind criminal innovation,” those who engage in grand corruption possess the means to mount formidable campaigns of misinformation and truth distortion,” he said.
The Special Prosecutor called for proposals for constitutional reforms that would enable state institutions to conduct lifestyle audits and seize assets from individuals whose wealth is deemed disproportionate to their lawful earnings, even without a criminal conviction.
According to him, ‘’current prosecutorial methods are inadequate for tracing and recovering illicit wealth, as they often require a conviction before confiscation can take place’’.
The High-Level conference was on the theme ‘’Revitalizsng the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey.
Mr Kissi Agyebeng expressed his opposition to calls for publication of declared assets of public officials.
“I do not and I will not add my voice to calls for the publication of asset for public scrutiny. In our experience, it will be unhelpful and would nearly subject public officers to inordinate public curiosity and a specter of the real likelihood of reprisal attacks against their asset,” he said.
Kissi Agyebeng stressed that a workable asset verification and tracing model would rather be sufficient to assure the integrity of the asset declaration system.
“Corruption begins where values collapse, that is why integrity must be designed into our educational system from the basic level through to the tertiary level,” he added.
“We should move beyond mere repository to a system of verification and tracing undeclared asset,” he opined.
On Tuesday February 18, President Mahama presented his completed Asset Declaration forms to the Auditor-General at a brief ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra.
Following his submission, he set a deadline of March 31st for all appointees to also do the same.
He warned all his appointees that they risked being removed from office if they did not declare their assets by March 31.
In accordance with Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution, eligible Public Office holders are required to submit their completed Assets Declaration Forms to the Auditor General’s office.
