The Director of Strategy, Research, and Communication at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Sammy Darko, says the overly high expectations Ghanaians have of the anti-corruption institution can be traced to how the office was introduced to the public.
Speaking during a Q&A session on X Spaces on Sunday, November 23, 2025, he explained that the initial excitement and political fanfare surrounding the OSP’s creation inadvertently shaped unrealistic public expectations.
“Often when you hear people talk about the OSP, it is because we spent too much funfair on the creation of the office, rather than educating Ghanaians as to what the office can do and cannot do. So the expectations were extremely high; meanwhile, we had not told the Ghanaian what the OSP can do and cannot do,” he said.
Mr. Darko noted that the OSP continues to receive petitions that fall far outside its mandate, including matters involving church offerings and disputes among pastors.
“We have received lots of petitions, and we have to go in to see if it falls directly under our mandate,” he said.
Addressing public calls for swift prosecutions and jail terms, he stressed that the OSP’s responsibility is limited to investigating corruption-related offences and presenting evidence before the courts.
“The office is now being fleshed up. So, from 2022 till now, there has been public pressure for people to go to jail for their crimes. Because they have not seen that, people think there is a problem—but there is no problem at all. Investigations take time, and after that, you take the case to court.
“The OSP only presents a case to the court, and it is the court that decides if the person is guilty or not,” he added.
