President John Dramani Mahama has described growing calls to abolish the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) as premature, emphasizing the institution’s continued relevance in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Speaking during a courtesy visit from the National Peace Council, President Mahama highlighted the uniqueness of the OSP, noting that unlike other anti-corruption bodies, it holds prosecutorial powers allowing it to pursue cases independently without referral to the Attorney General.
“The unique thing about that office is it is the only anti-corruption agency that has prosecutorial powers to be able to prosecute themselves without going through the Attorney General,” he said.
“People had mistrust for the Attorney General because the Attorney General normally is a member of government and is a minister of state. But if there’s an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are. They have security of tenure and prosecutorial powers to pursue anyone who has misappropriated public funds.”
While acknowledging public frustration over delays in prosecutions, President Mahama urged OSP Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyabeng to expedite investigations and deliver visible results.
“People want to see more prosecutions and more results. I’ll just urge the OSP to speed up some of these investigations and show people that the office is still very relevant,” he added.
The President also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to resourcing all anti-corruption institutions, including the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and the OSP, as part of broader efforts to restore public trust and accountability.
“The government is doing its best to regain the trust of the people—by being accountable ourselves and by holding persons who have abused public trust to account,” he said.
This statement comes amid mounting criticism of the OSP over perceived delays in prosecuting high-profile corruption cases, but President Mahama insists the office remains a critical tool in ensuring justice and curbing impunity.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
