High court refuses OSP bid to stay ruling halting its prosecutorial powers

The High Court General Jurisdiction 10, presided over by Justice Eugene John Nyante Nyadu, has refused an application by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) seeking a stay oF execution on a ruling that affects its prosecution powers.

The court’s decision means the earlier ruling, which halts certain prosecutions initiated by the OSP pending further legal interpretation, remains in force for now.

Following the ruling, the OSP indicated it will move to the Court of Appeal to repeat its application for stay of execution.

“We will immediately repeat the application for stay of execution at the Court of Appeal,” the OSP said.

The Office has also already filed a notice of appeal and has separate ongoing legal challenges at both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal concerning the same matter.

The dispute centres on a High Court decision which held that the OSP requires specific legal authorisation under its enabling law before it can independently prosecute cases, a position now being contested.

The matter was referenced in court during proceedings on Thursday, April 23, in the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) case, where former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is among the accused persons.