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| Mahama Ayariga |
THE
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR COMPLAINT AGAINST
A
SUSPECT, MAHAMA AYARIGA, FOR OBSTRUCTING
HIM
IN THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS FUNCTIONS
After
undertaking preliminary investigations into the
suspected
commission of corruption and corruption-related
offences
including the abuse of public office for private gain
by
the Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament for the
Bawku
Central Constituency, my office decided that there
were
sufficient grounds to invite the suspect for the conduct
of
full investigations into the allegations.
The
preliminary investigations pertained to the importation into Ghana
through corrupt means and corruption-related
activities of three used
white
Toyota Land Cruiser V8 vehicles by using a Parliamentary
Resolution
dated 7th April 2017 contracting a
facility of
US$22, 500, 000.00 between the Parliamentary
Service and
the Societe Generale Bank (Ghana) which was
for the purchase
of
one brand new official vehicle for each of the 275
Members
of Parliament. Due to the fact that the
investigations
division of my office was in the
process
of being set up, I invited the Economic
and
Organised Crime Office to undertake a joint
investigation of the suspected offences with
my
office,
as permitted under our establishment enactments.
The
suspect refused to report to the offices of EOCO in Accra
as demanded by a publication at page 26 of the
Daily Graphic
of 20th
June 2018 with vehicle numbers GR 2220-18,
GR
2221-18, GR 2222-18, GT 2243(sic)-17 and GT 4054-13.
Consequently,
it fell on me to write to the Speaker of Parliament
with
a copy to Mahama Ayariga (the suspect) in my
letter
dated 26th June 2018 to release the
suspect to
report
to EOCO on 3rd July 2018.
When
the Suspect, Honourable Mahama Ayariga,
received
his copy of my letter to the Speaker he
immediately
started to get people he perceived
could
put pressure on me (such as personal friends,
former
colleagues, chiefs, men of God, etc.), to abate
the
investigations being conducted in the performance
of
my functions under Acts 959 and Act 804. I asked
EOCO
on a number of occasions to warn the suspect
to
desist from his conduct of obstructing the investigations
by
soliciting others to put pressure on me to abate same to no avail.
I
have accordingly, on 3rd August 2018,
requested
EOCO
to investigate my complaint against the
suspect
for obstructing me, the Special Prosecutor,
in
the performance of the functions of my office as
the
Special Prosecutor. I stated clearly on oath at
my
vetting for this Office that I was not going to
tolerate
any interference or obstruction from
anybody
or organ of Government other than the
courts
of law in the performance of the independent
functions
of my office even if the culprit were my only brother.
It
is time for the public and everybody to take the
promises
I made on oath to the people of Ghana
at
my vetting very seriously.
We
cannot as a country fight the canker of
corruption
and corruption-related offences
by
expecting the Special Prosecutor to have
regard
to the personalities involved in the
commission
of corruption offences instead
of
treating every crime as crime without fear
or
favour, affection or ill will.
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