Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has pushed back against growing calls for public asset declarations by officials, arguing that such a move would be counterproductive and potentially dangerous.
Speaking at the National Anti-Corruption Conference hosted under the auspices of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, Mr. Agyebeng stated firmly;
“I do not and I will not add my voice to calls for the publication of assets for public scrutiny. In our experience, it would be unhelpful and would merely subject public officers to inordinate public curiosity and the specter of the real likelihood of reprisals against their assets.”
Instead, he advocated for a strengthened system of asset verification and tracing, noting that public trust in the asset declaration process can be achieved without disclosing sensitive personal financial information.
“A publication of who has declared or has not declared assets in the context of a workable asset verification and tracing model would be sufficient to assure the integrity of the assets declaration system,” he added.
Mr. Agyebeng’s comments come amid ongoing national debates over transparency in public office, particularly concerning the wealth of politically exposed persons. While he supports more robust accountability measures, including lifestyle audits and non-conviction-based asset recovery, he warns that public declarations may provoke unnecessary risk without significantly improving the fight against corruption.
His remarks underscore a broader theme from his address that effective anti-corruption efforts require both systemic safeguards and cultural change. “Corruption begins where values collapse,” he stated, urging that integrity be embedded in the education system from an early age.
