A Plus Rejects Calls to Abolish Special Prosecutor Office

Gomoa Central Member of Parliament Kwame Obeng Asare has rejected suggestions that the Office of the Special Prosecutor should be abolished, insisting the institution remains critical to Ghana’s anti-corruption framework despite ongoing criticism.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the lawmaker popularly known as A Plus said claims that President John Dramani Mahama intends to dismantle the OSP are part of a political agenda aimed at framing the new administration as soft on corruption. He emphasized that the government seeks reforms and results, not the destruction of anti-graft bodies.

A Plus also rejected interpretations of Speaker Alban Bagbin’s recent remarks on the OSP. The Speaker had questioned the sustainability of funding the office without tangible results during parliamentary deliberations on Thursday, December 4, noting that the OSP receives nearly the same budget as the Attorney General’s Department despite failing to deliver measurable progress.

According to the Gomoa Central MP, Bagbin did not call for abolition of the institution but highlighted the need for accountability in its operations. He argued that dissatisfaction with current Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng should not be used as justification to dissolve the entire office, stating that if the problem is with the person, authorities should deal with the person rather than eliminate the institution.

The MP further dismissed criticisms that the OSP failed to prevent former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from travelling out of the country during the previous administration. He noted that the Special Prosecutor had no authority over immigration decisions and could not have overridden executive power, pointing to failed attempts by NPP MPs to pressure former President Nana Akufo-Addo to remove Ofori-Atta as evidence of the minister’s political influence.

A Plus cautioned members of the National Democratic Congress against shifting positions on the OSP depending on political convenience, recalling that the office was widely praised when it pursued high-profile figures in the former government. He said the Mahama administration will retain and strengthen the Special Prosecutor’s office, adding that any decision to remove its current head would follow due process.

The future of the OSP has become a point of national debate after several lawmakers raised concerns about its performance, funding and independence. Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga on Thursday called for outright abolition of the OSP, insisting that corruption cases should be handled solely by the Attorney General’s Office.

Ayariga argued that despite sizeable budget allocations, the OSP has not delivered results comparable to the under-resourced AG’s Department. He referenced former Speaker Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, who recently suggested Parliament could use a private member’s bill to dissolve the institution and strengthen the Attorney General’s office instead.

The controversy intensified following the arrest and detention of private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The OSP held Kpebu for nearly five hours after an altercation at the office’s headquarters, where he allegedly obstructed security personnel while attempting to address media before entering the premises.

Kpebu, who had publicly criticized Kissi Agyebeng’s handling of investigations, described his arrest as unnecessary and confirmation of incompetence at the OSP. He has vowed to petition President Mahama for removal of the Special Prosecutor, claiming to have 15 allegations against him.

However, civil society organizations have defended the OSP against abolition calls. Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, told Joy FM on Friday that the office only began full operations in 2024 because of delays and logistical hurdles.

Dr. Asante noted that the first Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, worked from a townhouse building in Labone for almost three years before the current office building was secured and refurbished. The OSP received its first proper budget in 2022 and spent most of 2023 preparing its operations, he explained.

Private legal practitioner Kwame Owusu Danso expressed opposition to abolishing the OSP during GBC’s Current Agenda programme on Saturday. He drew comparison with Parliament, arguing that lawmakers would not scrap Parliament simply because it has fallen short of expectations, so why scrap the OSP.

NPP Director of Communications Richard Ahiagbah also stated that calls to scrap the OSP are misplaced because the real problem lies with the conduct of people running the office, not the law that created it. He described recent issues as resulting from excesses and abuses by current occupants who have stretched their powers to unreasonable limits.

Minister in charge of Government Communications Felix Ofosu Kwakye clarified on GHOne TV that the government has not received any formal request or indication to scrap the OSP. He emphasized that any such decision would rest solely with the President and would require legal and parliamentary procedures.

The OSP was established in 2018 as a specialized independent institution aimed at combating corruption in Ghana. It operates under the framework of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and is designed to address inadequacies of existing anti-corruption agencies with authority to investigate, prosecute and recover proceeds from corruption-related offenses.