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By Elizabeth Tamakloe
The future of Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has once again taken centre stage in national discourse, stirring intense debate across political, legal, and civil society circles. As discussions continue over whether the OSP should be scrapped or strengthened, the controversy has reopened deep concerns about the country’s long-standing fight against corruption, and the institutions mandated to lead it. At the heart of this debate lies a fundamental question: Is the OSP failing Ghana, or has Ghana failed the OSP?
The OSP derives its powers from the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), the Office of the Special Prosecutor Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2373), the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374), and other laws aimed at suppressing and prosecuting corruption. Although structured as an independent entity, it operates in partnership with several national institutions—Parliament, CHRAJ, the Audit Service, EOCO, the National Security Ministry, the Office of the Attorney-General, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Police Service, CDD-Ghana, and the Ghana Integrity Initiative, among others.
The OSP’s official website boldly declares, “We are watching you.” Yet, as the old question goes, “Who watches the watchman?” This has become central to the current controversy. Legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has repeatedly accused the OSP of incompetence and has called for the resignation of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng. On TV3, and Joy News, he alleged that the OSP mishandled the case involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who was previously listed on the OSP’s wanted list and suggested that the Special Prosecutor should “resign and hand over.”
The OSP on the KSM show claimed his office was not getting any corporation from other security agencies ‘’ We were not getting any corporation from other security agaencies, it was as if there was a policy of block the OSP out.
Are these security agencies not supposed to assist the OSP? If the allegations by the OSP on security agencies true, are we safe as a country?
Lawyer Martin Kpebu however in response to the allegations by the OSP, has said that he received a letter from the BNI stating that the OSP’s allegations are false.
Is the OSP lying to Ghanaians?, Is the OSP delivering on its mandate, or has political interference, institutional weakness, and public mistrust undermined its effectiveness from the beginning?
THE BIG QUESTIONS
- Has the OSP been set up to fail?
- Is the problem the institution—or its leadership?
- What about political interference?
- Has the OSP lost public trust?
- How do other countries succeed where we struggle?
- Should the OSP be scrapped, strengthened, or restructured?
As Parliament deliberates the future of the OSP, one thing is clear: Ghana stands at a crossroads. Scrapping the institution may offer temporary political comfort, but it risks weakening the nation’s anti-corruption framework at a time when public demand for accountability has never been stronger. On the other hand, maintaining the status quo without meaningful reform may only deepen public frustration.
The real question is not simply whether the OSP should be abolished or retained. It is whether Ghana is finally ready to build an anti-corruption system that is independent, fearless, well-resourced, and respected, a system capable of earning public trust and delivering justice without fear or favour.
Until that commitment is made, the debate will continue. And so will corruption.
