Executive Director of Transparency International, Mary Addah, has dismissed calls for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to be scrapped, describing them as unnecessary and premature.
Her comments follow the submission of a Private Members’ Bill by two Members of Parliament — Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor — seeking the complete repeal of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (Repeal) Bill, 2025, dated December 8, proposes returning full prosecutorial authority over corruption cases to the Attorney-General, in accordance with Article 88 of the Constitution.
The memorandum accompanying the Bill argues that the OSP’s eight years of operation have exposed structural and constitutional deficiencies that undermine its effectiveness.
It further points to duplication of prosecutorial roles between the OSP and the Attorney-General, which, according to the sponsors, has led to friction, overlapping mandates, and avoidable delays in criminal proceedings.
Addressing journalists in Accra on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Mary Addah insisted that the OSP deserves the space and time to fully execute its mandate.
“We are in the best stages of the office. The calls for it to be scrapped are very much unnecessary. It is sad that we have to be talking about this now,” she said.
“The intent and purpose of the law and the office — have they been achieved? Why are we in a hurry? The Attorney-General’s office has been there for more than 100 years; how many cases have they prosecuted? Perhaps we want quick action and results. We cannot fault Ghanaians for that, but I think we should hasten slowly.”
She urged stakeholders to support the OSP as it continues efforts to strengthen Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.
