President John Dramani Mahama has said calls for the closure of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) are premature, urging Ghanaians to allow the office more time to carry out its mandate.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the National Peace Council at the Presidency on Wednesday [Dec 10, 2025], President Mahama said he does not support demands for the Office of the Special Prosecutor to be scrapped.
He explained that the office occupies a distinct place in the country’s anti-corruption set-up because it has the authority to prosecute cases without going through the Attorney General.
“I think it is premature to call for the closure of that office,” he said.
The President said the office was created to address public mistrust in the Attorney General’s Department, noting that many Ghanaians believed an Attorney General who served in government would hesitate to prosecute officials from the same administration.
“People had mistrust for the Attorney General because the Attorney General normally is a member of the government and is a Minister of State. They believe the Attorney General would be reluctant to prosecute his own,” he stated.
He said an independent office with its own lawyers and security of tenure assured the public that wrongdoing would be pursued regardless of who is involved.
“I think we should give them a little time,” he said.
President Mahama said his administration intended to strengthen anti-corruption bodies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office and the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
“That is why we are resourcing EOCO and the other anti-corruption institutions, including the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” he noted.
He said accountability remained important as Ghana worked to avoid the governance failures that had contributed to military takeovers in parts of West Africa.
“I do not enjoy prosecuting people. But the people of Ghana will not forgive us if people develop impunity in terms of abusing the trust placed in them,” he added.
