President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to accelerate its investigations and demonstrate its importance in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Speaking during a meeting with the National Peace Council in Accra on Wednesday, December 10, President Mahama said it is premature to call for the closure of the OSP despite recent controversies surrounding the office.
He emphasised that the OSP is unique among anti-corruption institutions because it has independent prosecutorial powers, allowing it to prosecute cases without going through the Attorney General.
The President urged the OSP to deliver results quickly, stressing that timely investigations and prosecutions would strengthen public confidence and show that the office remains a critical institution in Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.
“I think it’s premature to call for the closure of that office. 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 and so people had mistrust for the Attorney General because the Attorney General normally is a member of government and is a Minister of State and so they believe that the Attorney General would be very reluctant to prosecute his own.
“But if there’s an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are because they have security of tenure and they have prosecutorial powers whether you’re a member of government or you’re a member of a previous government or you are anybody who has misappropriated public funds, they have the law is behind them to be able to prosecute you.
“So I think we should give them a little time you know of course people want to see you know more prosecutions and more results and so I’ll just urge the OSP to speed up you know some of these investigations and you know show people that the office is still very relevant,” President Mahama said.
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