President John Dramani Mahama has described calls from the public and some leaders to scrap the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) as premature.
He urged Ghanaians to remain calm and give the OSP time to tackle corruption and prosecute offenders, while stressing that speeding up prosecutions is key to rebuilding public trust.
“I think it’s premature to call for the closure of that office,” President Mahama said.
“The unique thing about that office is that it is the only anti-corruption agency that has prosecutorial powers to prosecute cases itself without going through the Attorney-General.”
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Governing Council of the National Peace Council, President Mahama emphasized the need for patience in evaluating the effectiveness of the OSP. “It is too early to judge the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
The public must exercise calm and give full support to its fight against corruption,” he said.
He explained that public distrust in the Attorney-General’s office, because the AG is part of the sitting government, makes the independence of the OSP even more crucial.
“People believe the Attorney-General will be very reluctant to prosecute his own,” he noted.
“But if there is an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are, because they have security of tenure and the prosecutorial authority to act.”
President Mahama urged the OSP to accelerate its ongoing cases to restore public confidence.
“People want to see more prosecutions and more results. I will just urge the OSP to speed up some of these investigations and show that the office is still very relevant,” he said.
Beyond corruption, President Mahama highlighted rising intolerance in communities, which he says is fueling conflicts and disturbances across the country.
He pointed to issues such as chieftaincy, ethnic, and land disputes, noting that these matters put pressure on security services and pose significant challenges for his administration.
The National Peace Council meeting provides an annual platform for the Head of State to receive updates on peace, security, and conflict resolution in Ghana.
