Former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto, has criticised the effectiveness of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), arguing that the institution has failed to deliver on the mandate for which it was established.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on December 8, Mr Okudzeto said corruption remains pervasive in public institutions, and the OSP has not made any substantial impact since its creation. According to him, the first question Ghanaians must ask is whether the OSP has fulfilled its intended role.
“Why was the institution set up? Has it achieved its purpose?” he asked. When pressed by host Evans Mensah on whether the OSP had indeed delivered, Mr Okudzeto responded emphatically, “I don’t think so.”
The respected lawyer explained that corruption continues to thrive openly across sectors, with public officials demanding money for services that should already have been paid for. “Everywhere you turn, you see it. People are not even afraid anymore,” he lamented.
When asked whether scrapping the OSP would be appropriate, Mr Okudzeto argued that the core issue is duplication of roles. He stated that the Attorney-General’s Department already possesses full prosecutorial authority over criminal cases, including corruption, making the OSP an unnecessary parallel structure.
He emphasised that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is mandated to prosecute all crimes, including corruption-related offences. “There is nothing that makes corruption different from any other crime,” he asserted. “So why create another institution to do the same job?”
Mr Okudzeto further noted that in other jurisdictions, special prosecutors are appointed only for specific or extraordinary assignments—not to run permanent institutions parallel to existing prosecutorial structures.
“In those places, a special prosecutor is appointed to tackle a specific problem. You don’t create an entire institution around one individual. That is where the danger lies,” he cautioned.
He also warned against building major national institutions around individuals whose capacity has not been tested at such levels. “When you don’t train people to do a job and think creating institutions around them will work, it becomes dangerous,” he said.
Mr Okudzeto aligned himself with those calling for the OSP to be dissolved and for the Attorney-General’s office to be strengthened instead. He believes this is a more effective approach to tackling corruption.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
Do you have a story to share? Send it to our editorial team at editor@wesleyannews.com
, arguing that the institution has failed to deliver on the mandate for which it was established.){kind=link}