Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem-Sai, has dismissed suggestions that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) oppose the establishment of an independent prosecutorial authority.
His comments follow claims that some NDC members are against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), with sections of the public—including party supporters—also calling for the anti-corruption body to be scrapped.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Srem-Sai maintained that the NDC has consistently supported the idea of an independent prosecutorial system but believes constitutional reforms are necessary to properly entrench it.
“There’s no one in NDC that I know of or have ever heard who is against an independent prosecutorial authority. Our manifesto was emphatic that we’re not against it [OSP]. We were clear in our position that to achieve these results, we need to amend the Constitution,” he said.
His remarks come after a High Court ruling on April 15, 2026, which ordered the Attorney-General’s Department to take over all criminal prosecutions currently being handled by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, pending formal approval from the Attorney-General.
The ruling followed a judicial review application challenging the prosecutorial powers of the anti-corruption body.
The OSP, however, has rejected the decision, arguing that the court exceeded its jurisdiction. It maintains that its enabling law grants it the authority to prosecute and says it is taking steps to have the ruling overturned.
Srem-Sai further noted that Ghana could draw lessons from other common law jurisdictions in addressing the ongoing tension between the Attorney-General’s Department and the OSP.
“It is not just in Ghana that we have this issue. It’s in almost all Anglo countries and common law jurisdictions; they all have this issue. I think solving this issue will require us to look elsewhere to see how it is done,” he observed.
The case was filed by Peter Archibold Hyde, one of four individuals under investigation by the OSP, alongside Alhaji Seidu, James Keck Osei and Customs officer John Abban.
They are alleged to have conspired to unlawfully take possession of containers using forged documents, including a falsified letter said to have originated from the Office of the then Vice President.
In its ruling, the High Court held that while the OSP has the mandate to investigate corruption-related offences, it must obtain approval from the Attorney-General before initiating prosecutions.
