President John Mahama says it is too early for anyone to call for the abolition of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), insisting the institution still holds an important role in Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.
Speaking during a courtesy call by the National Peace Council at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, December 10, the President stressed that the OSP remains the only anti-corruption body with full prosecutorial independence.
“I think it’s premature to call for the closure of that office,” President Mahama said.
“The unique thing about that office is that it is the only anti-corruption agency that has prosecutorial powers to prosecute cases itself without going through the Attorney-General.”
He explained that public distrust in the Attorney-General’s office, because the AG is part of the sitting government, makes the independence of the OSP even more crucial.
“People believe the Attorney-General will be very reluctant to prosecute his own,” he noted.
“But if there is an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are, because they have security of tenure and the prosecutorial authority to act.”
President Mahama urged the OSP to accelerate its ongoing cases to restore public confidence.
“People want to see more prosecutions and more results. I will just urge the OSP to speed up some of these investigations and show that the office is still very relevant,” he said.
His comment comes after the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, called for the abolition of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), arguing that the institution has failed to deliver on its core mandate eight years after its establishment.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, December 4, the Majority Leader questioned the constitutional basis and performance of the OSP, insisting that Parliament must reconsider its earlier decision to approve its creation.
He argued that the attempt to design the OSP in a manner that appeared to align with the Constitution was flawed from the outset.
Mr. Ayariga added that after almost eight years in existence, the OSP has not demonstrated any meaningful results in tackling corruption.
At the same sitting, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, raised strong concerns over the continuous allocation of large budgetary resources to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), describing the expenditure as unjustifiable given the office’s performance.
Speaker Bagbin noted that despite the initial goodwill that accompanied the establishment of the OSP, its performance has not matched the significant investment made.
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