News:
December 5, 2025
The legislature of Ghana has made a strong case for the scrapping of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), one of the anti-corruption institutions in Ghana.
Both sides of the House seem to have agreed to the need to scrap the OSP, with the Majority side making an emphatic call for it to be scrapped, while the Minority was subtle with their position pushing the Majority side to do the needful with their superior number in the House.
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, November 3, 2025, the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor had reason to raise issues with the OSP regarding its conducts called on the House to invite the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng to the House to explain the reasons behind the recent detentions of individuals invited to assist investigations.
However, later in the day, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga resurrected the debate sitting unconstitutionality of the OSP.
Mr Ayariga who also queried the basis for the detention of private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu by the OSP on the floor of the House, noted that the Attorney-General is better placed to fight corruption in the country when given the needed resources.
As far as the Majority Leader is concerned, the huge amount of money allocated to the OSP every year, if channeled to the Attorney-General’s Office could have improved efficiency of the A-G, which office is well-grounded in the 1992 Constitution for criminal prosecutions.
He contended that over the years the OSP has not lived up to the billing, as not much can be pointed to as its achievement to the state.
He announced that the House will consider initiating processes for the scrapping of the OSP either through a private members bill or the executive would have to initiate that.
However, the Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Jinapor was of the view that the creation of the OSP by the previous Government was a noble idea; but if the verdict out there is that the OSF has underperformed, the Majority should do the needful.
The Damongo MP wondered why the Majority side failed to act using their numerical strength having been in power for eleven month and are only lamenting over what they see as unconstitutional in the words of the Majority Leader.
The debate was given weight when the Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin added that he has always had issues with the OSP right from when it was being established.
“We cannot continue to allocate huge sums to the OSP when we are not getting results”, he stated
He, however, cautioned that the behavior of arresting and detaining individuals by the OSP and other security institutions must not be politicized.
Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com