Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has called for a radical expansion of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, insisting the anti-corruption body cannot remain concentrated in Accra and expect to win the fight against corruption.
The South Dayi MP, speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, said the OSP must establish offices across the country, especially in districts where he believes corruption is deeply entrenched.
Responding to questions about his earlier criticism of the OSP’s performance despite its budgetary allocations, the Majority Chief Whip said he still believes the office can do better.
“I believe in the wisdom of the president,” he said.
He explained that President John Mahama had appealed for patience with the institution and asked critics to allow it time to grow.
“But I believe that, as the President said, he himself knows that the OSP could do better,” Mr Dafeamekpor stated.
He said the real test of the institution would be its willingness to expand beyond the capital.
“We’ve given them a mandate under the OSP Act to establish regional offices. Don’t be cocooned in Accra and seek to fight crime,” he declared.
According to him, corruption is not limited to Accra and Tema, and the OSP risks missing widespread abuse happening in the districts if it remains overly centralised.
“Crime is not only coterminous to the people or the lifestyle in Metropolitan Accra or Tema,” he said.
Mr Dafeamekpor pointed to findings in Auditor-General reports as evidence that financial misconduct is widespread in local assemblies and state agencies outside the capital.
“If you check the Auditor General’s report, crime is pervasive in the district within the assembly, especially lots of pilfering and a deliberate decision on the part of public servants to simply ignore the law and do what they will do, and pilfer from the public purse,” he said.
He proposed a structure where the OSP would have regional offices coordinating district-level operations across the country.
“So, have district offices, also have regional offices to coordinate your offices in the various districts,” he argued.
The South Dayi MP maintained that the presence of OSP officials in districts alone could serve as a deterrent against corruption.
“If every district knows that there is an OSP officer resident in the district, certain things won’t happen in the assemblies, and some of the statutory agencies operating in the district would do things differently,” he stressed.
Asked whether the OSP still deserves more time to prove itself, Mr Dafeamekpor answered in the affirmative but warned that patience must be matched by visible commitment and expansion.
“Yes, but when you are not committed to expanding, then I have a problem with you,” he said. “Then I will question why we give you so much money, and yet you are delivering so little.”
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