Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has expressed doubts about the effectiveness and impartiality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), alleging that the government established it to shield its party members from corruption allegations.
In an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, May 28, Ansa-Asare expressed reservations about the OSP’s effectiveness in combating corruption.
He suggested that the institution might be serving the interests of the ruling party rather than upholding its mandate to impartially address corruption in Ghana.
“I could objectively judge the contributions of the Office of the Special Prosecutor if we had a person like Martin Amidu [former OSP] as the Special Prosecutor. But the person we have now is one of the appointees who might have been brought there for a purpose.”
“So far, what I can say of the Office of the Special Prosecutor seems to me was created purposely to exonerate NPP offenders,” he said.
Inaugurated in 2018, the OSP was conceived as an independent anti-corruption body in Ghana, aligned with the principles of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
Its core mission is to investigate and prosecute specific cases of alleged or suspected corruption and related offenses in both the public and private sectors.
Beyond its prosecutorial duties, the OSP is also responsible for recovering proceeds derived from corrupt activities. This includes seizing illicitly obtained wealth and implementing preventive measures to curb future instances of corruption.