Calls to scrap OSP premature; let’s give them time — Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has responded to calls to scrap the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

The independent anti-graft office has recently faced criticism over what some perceive as a slow pace in prosecutions.

Speaking during a meeting with the National Peace Council on Wednesday, December 10, the President said the office should be allowed enough time to prove itself.

“I think it is premature to call for the scrapping of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. We should give them a little time, and I urge the office to speed up its work,” Mahama said.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor was established in 2017 as an independent body to focus on corruption and corruption-related offences.

However, some, including Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and former Speaker Professor Mike Aaron Ocquaye, have argued that the office has not effectively delivered on its mandate despite budget allocations.

Meanwhile, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor have filed a private members’ bill seeking the dissolution of the office.

The two lawmakers argued that the national anti-corruption prosecutorial mandate could be more effectively and constitutionally executed through a strengthened Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice with a specialised anti-corruption division, rather than through a separate statutory body.