Scrap the OSP – NDC’s PV Jantuah Calls for Major Overhaul of Ghana’s Anti-Corruption System
Governance expert and National Democratic Congress (NDC) member, PV Jantuah Boateng Dadson, has sparked national debate after calling for the abolition of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). According to him, the OSP has failed to meet public expectations and has become more of a burden than a solution in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Speaking in an interview on Ultimate FM, Jantuah argued that the OSP’s creation has not produced meaningful results despite its intended purpose of independently prosecuting corruption cases.
“The Constitution empowers the Minister of Justice, who doubles as the Attorney General, to prosecute any form of criminality within or outside government machinery,” he noted. “The Ghana Police Service can also lead prosecutions under the directives of the Attorney General. No matter how the OSP’s bill was drafted, its powers and operations still fall under the AG.”
He maintained that Ghana’s political structure makes true prosecutorial independence nearly impossible, leading to selective justice and shielding of powerful individuals. He cited the numerous delayed and unresolved corruption cases as evidence of the system’s continued weakness.
Jantuah also questioned the rationale behind President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision to establish the OSP, referencing the President’s earlier comments on the supremacy of the Attorney General in prosecutions.
“I was surprised that President Akufo-Addo went on to create the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” he recalled. “Back in 2005, during his vetting as Foreign Minister, the Daily Graphic quoted him as saying that ‘the conflict of the Attorney General is superfluous.’ To me, the OSP was dead on arrival.”
He proposed strengthening existing state institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Office of the Auditor-General, while also empowering Parliament to play a more active oversight role.
“If I were to advise President John Dramani Mahama, I’d tell him to scrap the OSP entirely,” he said. “Let’s channel those resources into the Attorney General’s Department — recruit more qualified lawyers, equip regional offices, and pay them well.”
Jantuah further stressed that corruption cases should not be centralised in Accra, emphasizing that every region has the judicial capacity to handle such matters.
He concluded that without strong political will and adequately resourced institutions, Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts will continue to fall short.
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