Elvis Darko is a media practitioner
Media practitioner, Elvis Darko, has questioned the effectiveness and transparency of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
In an interview on Channel One TV and monitored by GhanaWeb on Monday, June 2, 2025, he criticised the OSP’s track record, stating that the office has failed to meet public expectations since its establishment.
“The OSP has suffered reputational damage for years. It has been around for over eight years and it’s only recently that it secured a conviction in a payroll fraud case in the Northern Region. Aside from that, there hasn’t been any meaningful success,” he noted.
Elvis Darko further pointed out the disparity between the OSP and other investigative bodies such as the Police Criminal and Investigative Department (CID).
“When you compare the resources, we’ve pumped into the OSP with the results it has achieved—especially against the number of convictions realised by the CID and others—the OSP begins to look irrelevant. Their outcomes do not inspire public confidence,” he remarked.
He also expressed concern about the lack of clarity in the OSP’s investigations, particularly in high-profile matters.
“Sometimes it looks as if the OSP does not have solid evidence. They appear to be fishing for information after they have announced the infraction. For example, when they mention things like the VAT refund account or SML, what exactly is the issue? The public doesn’t have access to the full details of what has gone wrong,” he said.
Touching on the SML case, Darko noted that an investigation confirmed the company had done some work which led to increased revenue but an independent accounting firm clarified that SML could not take credit for the entire increase.
“If the OSP believes there are issues that go beyond what the public reports show, then those findings must be made available. But right now, we are kept in darkness,” he lamented.
The office was set up in 2018 by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a specialised independent anti-corruption institution in the country.
JKB/VPO
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