The Special Prosecutor's request for an order to freeze the assets of the late Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, often known as Sir John, was denied by the High Court in Accra.
In regards to an alleged illegal and unlawful acquisition of state property at the Achimota Forest enclave and the Ramsar catchment at Sakumono in Accra, as mentioned in the late Sir John's testament, the Special Prosecutor is now looking into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.
If the Special Prosecutor does not seize such assets, the properties he may be looking at could not exist by the time the inquiry is through.
The agency stated that additional assets, such as foreign accounts outside of the country, were also being looked at and that the OSP was asking its international colleagues for help in freezing such accounts.
As a result, on May 20, 2022, the Office of the Special Prosecutor issued an order to freeze the late Sir John's estate. The Special Prosecutor requested a confirmation of the freezing order from the High Court on June 9, 2022
The application was denied by the court on Tuesday morning, July 12, 2022, which was presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe. However, the Special Prosecutor disagrees with the court, claiming that the judge "completely misapprehended the application for confirmation of the freezing order and misguided herself by categorising the application as that of a motion for summary judgement."
The Special Prosecutor has directed an appeal against the High Court's decision and stated in a press release that the inquiry into Sir John's estate would go forward.
Petition
The OSP's investigation comes in response to a petition from Corruption Watch, a group of anti-corruption civil society organisations that includes the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), and the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), asking the Special Prosecutor to look into the acquisition of state lands in the Achimota Forest and the Ramsar area in Sakumono by three companies and two individuals.