President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has informed Parliament that Ms Mavis Jane Cynthia Naa Torshie Lamptey, has been nominated as Deputy Special Prosecutor.

Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye, the Speaker of Parliament read the communication from the President, announcing the nomination at a sitting on Thursday when members were called from recess.

The House has been on recess since March 23, 2018, but the Speaker according to a memo, recalled Members to sit on Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27, 2018, for “ urgent parliamentary business.”

The Speaker referred the communication on the nomination to the Appointments Committee of Parliament, for vetting and report.

Ms Lamptey is a lawyer of 30 years standing at the Ghana Bar and a former acting Director of Public Prosecutions.

President Akufo-Addo’s communication said Ms Lamptey is an experienced Lawyer serving in the office of public prosecutions.

As if a reunion Ms Lamptey would again be working with Mr Martin Amidu, Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor, who once was the Attorney-General during the Administration of the late President Mills.

The Special Prosecutor has a seven-year non-renewable term of office, and the Office is expected to be independent in its dealings.

Ms Lamptey worked at the Attorney-General’s Department for over 20 years until 2015.

The setting up of the office of the Special Prosecutor was one of the key campaign promises made by President Akufo-Addo ahead of his election victory in 2016.



The office is aimed at tackling public office corruption.

When operational, the Special Prosecutor’s office would be independent of the Executive, which observers believe will allow it to adequately deal with corruption-related issues that had plagued past governments.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor will have the mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged corruption under the Public Procurement Act 203 Act 63 and other corruption-related offences implicating public officers, political office holders and their accomplices in the public sector.



The Prosecutor will also be mandated to trace and recover the proceeds of corruption.

President Akufo-Addo, in fulfilment of the 2016 electoral campaign promise, created the Office of the Special Prosecutor, as an independent body to prosecute politicians exposed persons found to have engaged in corruption.



The Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, (Act 959) passed in November 2017 by Parliament and signed into law in January 2018 by President Akufo-Addo