NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia has cast doubt on the effectiveness of Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), arguing that it will ultimately fail. Speaking on Accra-based Radio Gold, he said the OSP’s efforts would fade away without real prosecutorial power.
“I have been very consistent that the OSP won’t be beneficial to us as a country. You see that they are making noise, but with time it will just die out because the OSP will hit a snag.
If the Attorney General does not take interest in the case and pursue it, it will just turn out to be one of those cases,” he said.
He believes that Ghana’s corruption fight is weak because the Attorney General, who oversees prosecutions, is also a political appointee.
His solution is to separate the Attorney General’s role from that of the Minister of Justice, ensuring that a career prosecutor can independently go after corrupt officials.
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“What I suggest is that we should separate the Attorney General’s Office from the office of the Minister of Justice so that we look for a career Attorney General so that he can prosecute.
“So if you’re in government and you go against the law, you can be prosecuted; if you’re in opposition and you go contrary to the law, you will be arrested. This will mean he has the authority to do it,” he stated.
His remarks come amid the OSP’s recent move to declare Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta wanted. However, Nketia dismisses this as mere “noise-making” that will not hold up in the long run.
The OSP was created to fight corruption, but critics argue it lacks real power due to political interference and resource constraints. Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu resigned in 2020 over alleged government interference, and his successor, Kissi Agyebeng, faces similar challenges.
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