Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart Hopeson Adorye has described Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) as a liability rather than an asset, questioning its value to the country.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, the Director of Operations for the United Party questioned the justification for maintaining the OSP, given the resources allocated to the institution and what he considers to be its relatively limited outcomes.
He cited figures of more than GH¢1.1 billion reportedly allocated to the Office, compared with about GH¢800 million it has recovered, alongside seven convictions.
“If you look at the money that has been given to the Office over 1 billion cedis and they have been able to retrieve 800 million and seven convictions, I ask myself, why should we maintain that office?” he asked.
Mr Adorye argued that institutions such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Attorney General’s Department and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) previously handled corruption-related investigations and prosecutions.
According to him, some of the challenges confronting the OSP stem from the manner in which the institution was established, describing its creation as largely driven by a political promise rather than careful institutional planning.
“It was because of the way the OSP was set up that is why we’re facing problems. Because it was a political promise, we didn’t plan and execute as we should have,” he said.
Mr Adorye also criticised the decision by the Akufo-Addo-led NPP administration to provide for the OSP to obtain prosecutorial powers from the Attorney General.
He acknowledged the Supreme Court’s position that the OSP is constitutionally independent, noting that its enabling legislation does not require the Special Prosecutor to seek the Attorney General’s permission for every case.
He, however, said the relationship between the two institutions has now become one of cooperation.
Mr Adorye further argued that the OSP has been given too much institutional protection despite what he described as shortcomings in its operations.
“We have overpampered the OSP too much because their operations are not going well,” he said.
With the current tenure of the Special Prosecutor due to end in 2027 and subject to renewal, Mr Adorye called for a change in leadership and broader reforms to the institution.
“The tenure ends in 2027 and is subject to renewal, but we must allow him to go and rest, and let’s consider some reforms and look for someone else,” he said.
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