The Editor of the Newscenta newspaper, Elvis Darko, has described any attempt to dissolve the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) as “politically unwise” and a potential “suicide” in the fight against corruption and has warned against such moves.
Speaking on GHOne TV’s GHToday on Friday, April 17, 2026, Darko said the recent constitutional arguments against the OSP’s independence can be termed as a “hoax” designed to weaken the only investigative body perceived to be targeting politically exposed persons.
Darko addressed the High Court ruling which stripped the OSP of its prosecutorial powers and has led to a debate as to whether the Special Prosecutor requires explicit authorization from the Attorney General (AG) to prosecute cases. He argued that the very origin of the OSP Act nullifies the need for further permission.
“The Attorney General wrote the Bill. If the AG sits down and says, ‘My office is not capable of fighting corruption that involves politicians… therefore we need a new office,’ and that Bill gets passed by Parliament, how on earth is that not authorization?” Darko questioned.
He emphasized that since the AG’s office drafted the legislation and voluntarily ceded specific prosecutorial powers to the OSP, claiming the office is unconstitutional is a deliberate attempt to retroactively pull back those powers.
“If the OSP is not working, leave it and don’t touch it because it is politically unwise to scrap it… the OSP no matter how incompetent it is, leave it because if the CSOs turn against you, it’s not the best and that would amount to political suicide…,” he said.
The Editor also called on the Mahama administration to learn from the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government which never attempted scrapping the OSP despite the office working against the ‘perceived’ interest of his government.
“Akufo-Addo didn’t scrap the office [even] when the OSP cleared Mahama of Airbus scandal that aided their [NDC] victory in elections, and they want to scrap that? The narrative that NDC gave in opposition and what they are doing now, it is obvious that they are not anti-corruption party, they are not in government to fight corruption…,” he said.
Addressing the ongoing debate as to whether the Special Prosecutor needs explicit authorization from the Attorney General (AG) to prosecute cases, Darko argued that the origin of the OSP Act nullifies the need for further permission.
“The Attorney General wrote the Bill. If the AG sits down and says, ‘My office is not capable of fighting corruption that involves politicians… therefore we need a new office,’ and that Bill gets passed by Parliament, how on earth is that not authorization?” Darko questioned.
To him, the ultimate goal of the current legal challenges is to reduce the OSP to the status of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) or the Police Service, both of which require the AG’s approval to proceed to court.
“If that happens, then we are doomed in our fight against corruption,” Darko lamented.
He therefore [urged] government to maintain the OSP’s independence, warning that stripping the office of its autonomy would signal the end of genuine anti-corruption efforts in Ghana and cause irreparable damage to the government’s political standing.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
