President John Mahama has reaffirmed his support for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), arguing that proposals for its abolition are misguided and premature.
He insists that the institution still occupies a critical space in Ghana’s anti-corruption system and must demonstrate its relevance through quicker and more decisive investigations.
The President shared his concerns during a meeting with the National Peace Council at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, December 10, where he addressed growing public debate over the performance and future of the OSP.
Responding directly to calls from political leaders and legal experts for the OSP to be dissolved, President Mahama was emphatic that such demands overlook the unique mandate the office carries.
“I think it’s premature to call for the closure of that office,” he said.
He reiterated that the OSP is the only anti-corruption body in Ghana with full prosecutorial autonomy, a distinction he believes is essential for public confidence in corruption-related prosecutions.
“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.”
This point echoes earlier remarks he made during the same engagement, where he underscored the need for the OSP to demonstrate urgency in its work.
“I’ll just urge the OSP to speed up some of these investigations and show people that the office is still very relevant.”
President Mahama said many citizens remain sceptical of the Attorney General’s impartiality due to the AG’s position within government. This, he argued, reinforces the necessity of maintaining an independent prosecutorial body like the OSP.
“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.”
He stressed that the OSP’s independence means no individual—whether in current government, a former administration, or the public service—can evade accountability.
“Whether you’re a member of government, a former government, or anybody who has misappropriated public funds, they have the lawyers behind them to prosecute you.”
Despite the President’s defence of the institution, calls for the OSP’s abolition have intensified. Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga recently told Parliament that the office has failed to produce meaningful results nearly eight years after its inception, arguing that it should be abolished.
He questioned both the legal structure and operational output of the OSP, insisting that Parliament may have erred in approving its creation.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has also voiced concern about the office’s continued access to significant budget allocations despite what he described as disappointing performance.
His sentiments echo those of former Ghana Bar Association President Sam Okudzeto and other prominent legal figures who contend that the OSP has not fulfilled its intended purpose and is draining state resources.
President Mahama, however, believes that rather than dismantling the OSP, the focus should be on enabling it to work more efficiently and achieve results that restore public trust.
“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.
He maintained that the institution remains central to Ghana’s anti-corruption framework and must not be written off prematurely.
