President John Dramani Mahama has defended the Office of the Special Prosecutor against calls for its closure, describing such demands as “premature” and arguing the office remains the only anti-corruption agency with independent prosecutorial powers.
Speaking when the National Peace Council paid a courtesy call on him at the Presidency on Wednesday, President Mahama said the OSP’s unique characteristic is its ability to prosecute cases without going through the Attorney General.
“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,” the President stated.
He explained that public mistrust of the Attorney General stems from the fact that the position is typically held by a government minister, creating perceptions of reluctance to prosecute political figures.
“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,” President Mahama said.
The President argued that the OSP’s independence, security of tenure, and prosecutorial powers make it capable of pursuing anyone who misappropriates public funds, regardless of their position.
“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 lawyers behind them to be able to prosecute you,” he explained.
President Mahama acknowledged public frustration over the pace of results, urging the OSP to accelerate its work.
“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,” the President stated.
The remarks come amid recent controversy surrounding the Office of the Special Prosecutor, with some quarters calling for its closure.
He said his government is resourcing the Economic and Organized Crime Office and other anti-corruption institutions, including the OSP, as part of efforts to hold those who abused public trust accountable.
“I don’t enjoy prosecuting people. But, I mean, the people of Ghana will not forgive us if people develop impunity in terms of abusing the trust that people have put in them,” he added.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
