On November 16, 2020, Mr. Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu resigned from his position as Special Prosecutor. He cited undue influence from the office of the President as well as the lack of logistics to aid in the performance of his duties, as some of the reasons for his resignation.
In a letter to President Akufo Addo on April 16, 2021, The Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Godfred Dame has nominated the 43-year-old, Legal Practitioner and Chairman of the Electronic Communications Tribunal, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng for the office of the Special Prosecutor.
In the letter, Godfred Dame noted that per Section 13(8) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), the President was required to appoint a qualified person for the position of the Special Prosecutor within six (6) months. The President is, however, yet to make a formal declaration of Kissi Agyebeng’s nomination.
In a related item, Inusah Fuseini, the former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, had said that Kissi Agyebeng is too young to take up the position of the Special Prosecutor.
“The Special Prosecutor’s position which is a risky job needs someone who is further advanced in life to resist any form of temptations due to how complicated the fight against corruption is,” Mr. Inusah said.
“As a lawyer and former MP, my only concern is his age,” he further added.
About Kissi Agyebeng
In 2001, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, a native of Kwahu in the Eastern region, received the Bentsi-Enchill Prize for Best Graduating Student of the University of Ghana School of Law. Kissi Agyebeng went on to pursue his law career at the Ghana School of Law and in October of 2003, he was called to the Bar earning the E.N. Sowah Memorial Prize for Best Student in Family Law.
He has since argued numerous cases on behalf of his clients and participated in several international arbitration hearings. Most notable was in 2015 when he represented Ghana’s football finest Asamoah Gyan in the case in which Sarah Kwablah accused Asamoah Gyan of rape and sodomy. He was also Asamoah Gyan’s mouthpiece when in 2014, Asamoah Gyan was accused of killing his friend and musician Castro who was said to have drowned in the Volta River in Ada.
Kissi Agyebeng has also represented investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas who has faced many legal battles concerning the investigative style of his work.
Several public sector institutions such as EXIM Bank Ghana Ltd, the Youth Employment Authority, the National Lottery Authority, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, and the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited have sought his legal expertise.
