Vitus Azeem: I am Impressed With OSP Freezing Of Sir John’s Assets

Vitus Azeem, an anti-corruption crusader, has expressed his admiration for the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) decision to freeze Sir John’s assets while investigations proceed.

Azeem said that state institutions failed miserably in their efforts to prevent the previous head of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) from withdrawing millions of dollars from his “frozen” bank accounts, and he urged the OSP to learn from the incident.

Speaking in an interview on Thursday (2 June), Azeem said, “Yes, I’m impressed but I’ll only say that as an anti-corruption person, it is the outcome that will be the most important. It’s a good step and a step in the right direction but then we will always wait for the outcome….so I’m really impressed that the OSP has taken up the matter.”

“The [former] PPA boss’s problem should give a lesson to the OSP. They should first go to court and secure a freeze on the assets of Sir John. Once they do that for a certain period, they can now take their time to plan how to investigate the matter,” he said.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) announced on Thursday (2 June) that the assets of the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie aka Sir John, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, have been frozen.

This is part of inquiries investigating the acquisition of public lands and properties that were contained in Sir John’s Will, according to a source at the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor announced last month that it had launched full investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses involving the former Forestry Commission CEO’s alleged and unlawful acquisition of state lands at the Achimota forest enclave and the Ramsar site.

A statement signed by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, indicated that Sir John including other persons will be investigated.

Source: Opemsuo.com/ Emmanuel Owusu Anti