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President John Dramani Mahama has urged the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to expedite its investigations and deliver visible results to reinforce its relevance in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Speaking during a meeting with the National Peace Council in Accra on Wednesday, December 10, President Mahama addressed recent public debate over the future of the OSP. He described calls for the office to be scrapped as premature, arguing that the institution remains essential to strengthening accountability in the country.
The President highlighted the OSP’s unique mandate, emphasizing that it is the only anti-corruption body with independent prosecutorial authority—empowering it to initiate prosecutions without relying on the Attorney General.
According to him, this independence is central to public trust, given concerns that an Attorney General—being a political appointee and a member of government—may be hesitant to prosecute politically sensitive cases.
“The unique thing about that office is it is the only anti-corruption agency that has prosecutorial powers … and so people had mistrust for the Attorney General because the Attorney General normally is a member of government,” Mahama said.
“With an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are … whether you’re a member of government or a previous government or anybody who has misappropriated public funds, they have the law behind them to prosecute you.”
President Mahama acknowledged public frustration over the pace of OSP investigations but encouraged patience, noting that the office needs time to demonstrate its full potential. He, however, urged the OSP to intensify its work to restore confidence.
“So I think we should give them a little time. Of course, people want to see more prosecutions and more results, and so I’ll just urge the OSP to speed up some of these investigations and show people that the office is still very relevant,” he added.
