The Director for Public Engagement and Partnerships at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has raised concerns over what he describes as persistent and disproportionate attacks on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), warning that it reflects a deeper inconsistency in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Speaking at a National Dialogue on the Office of the Special Prosecutor on Tuesday, March 31, Dr. Asante noted that, unlike other state investigative bodies, the OSP has faced continuous resistance from its inception, including legal and political challenges to its existence.
He observed that institutions such as the Financial Intelligence Centre, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, which perform related functions, have not been subjected to the same level of scrutiny and opposition.
According to him, the trend exposes a disconnect between the country’s public stance on fighting corruption and the actual commitment to strengthening independent institutions.
“Interesting and curiously, we have not seen the same sustained attack on the Financial Intelligence Centre, EOCO, or the Police CID, even though their work is not dissimilar to the OSP. So, what exactly is the problem? It says one thing: our rhetoric as a country and our practice are far apart.
“Every election, parties insist that corruption prosecution is biased and the function must be made independent, and then they turn around and undermine their own interventions,” he said.
Dr. Asante cautioned that any attempt to revert to the pre-2018 anti-corruption arrangement, where there was no OSP, would significantly weaken Ghana’s governance framework, describing it as a step backward.
He stressed that global trends point towards strengthening independent anti-corruption institutions, adding that Ghana’s current trajectory with the OSP aligns with best practices.
“The debate as to whether we should have the function of prosecuting corruption, especially by PEPs, handled by an independent person other than the Attorney General, has been settled after 22 years. For me, it is settled. We are very clear that we need an independent office,” he added,
