The Ghana Integrity Initiative has commended the decision by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to freeze the assets of the late Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John.
In an interview with Citi News, the Programmes Manager for the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Adda, said the decision is well within the remit of the Special Prosecutor.
“I believe that from an initial assessment, he [the Special Prosecutor] has the mandate to investigate it, and he would want to definitely look into it to ensure that everything is right.”
“To do so, we definitely would have to ensure that whatever property he has taken care of is protected for now so that if there is culpability at the end of the day, then the state can also activate the other clauses to ensure we are getting our due,” she explained.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor commenced investigations into alleged corruption by Sir John last week.
- Sir John’s will is being reviewed in Court’ – Lands Ministry
- Ramsar site and Achimota Forest lands will not be given to Sir John’s beneficiaries – Gov’t
The investigation is in relation to his alleged improper acquisition of state lands within the Achimota forest and the Sakumono Ramsar site.
This move was part of investigations into the acquisition of state lands that were contained in the will of the late CEO.
Some civil society groups had petitioned the Special Prosecutor and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the acquisition of the state lands.
The will caused public uproar after he bequeathed state lands to some relatives.
It went viral online and sparked anger among many Ghanaians.
The emergence of the will came after the controversial declassification of parts of the Achimota Forest and return to its allodial owners.
