By Francis Kobena Tandoh
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, and the Majority Caucus in Parliament, led by its Leader, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, on Thursday called for the scrapping of the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) for producing little results.
The Speaker expressed concern over the large sums of money allocated to OSP by the government despite what he views as underwhelming performance.
He said, “We cannot continue to allocate those huge sums when we are not getting results.”
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, renewed calls for the abolition of the OSP, arguing that despite substantial budget allocations, the office has “not delivered.”
According to him, the role of investigating and prosecuting corruption should revert to the Attorney‑General’s Department, rather than the OSP.
Bagbin, Ayariga, and others’ argument against OSP
Budget vs. results: The OSP has reportedly received significant funding, sometimes similar to or more than the Attorney-General’s Department, but critics say it has not secured sufficient convictions or demonstrated tangible impact.
Ineffectiveness/deviation from mandate: Some lawmakers argue the OSP has strayed from its original purpose of protecting the public purse and prosecuting corruption, making it redundant or misused.
Institutional duplication and inefficiency: The idea is that the Attorney-General’s Department could handle corruption cases, reducing duplication and perhaps increasing efficiency.
What this means politically & legally
For the OSP to be abolished or effectively dismantled, there would need to be legal and constitutional processes, as one cannot just “shut it down” by announcement. Even critics acknowledge that.
The push for abolition comes amid broader scrutiny: recently, there was controversy over the arrest and detention of a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, by the OSP—a move that triggered calls by some MPs to summon the head of the OSP and justify its conduct.
There are also petitions for the removal of the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, citing alleged mismanagement and a lack of results under his watch.
What supporters of OSP say / Government reaction
Presidential Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has stated that there is no official government position to scrap the OSP, noting that it was established by law and any abolition must follow due legal and parliamentary procedures.
Supporters argue the OSP remains a needed independent anti-corruption body given overlapping or weak capacity in other agencies. For example, earlier criticisms of OSP noted that existing bodies like the Police’s Economic & Organised Crime Office, CID, etc., had not been effective enough.
Those defending the OSP claim that abolishing it could weaken independent prosecution of corruption, especially cases involving high-ranking public officials or politically exposed persons. End item
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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