The OSP will disappear without a constitutional solution- Henry Prempeh

Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), says only a constitutional remedy can resolve the recurring controversies surrounding the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, December 8, Prof. Prempeh stressed that the challenges facing the OSP cannot be fixed through piecemeal reforms or extended court battles. Without a clear constitutional intervention, he warned, the office risks becoming ineffective or eventually fading out entirely.

He argued that Ghana must confront the issue at its roots rather than attempt to “renovate around the problem.”

“The problem we’re facing now calls for a constitutional solution. Basically, that is how we can resolve this impasse. If we don’t, we start litigating around it, and the Office will disappear at some point if we don’t solve the problem. If we’re serious about solving the problem, there’s no shortage of innovative ideas to deal with it. There are comparative models around; we can innovate our own,” he suggested.

 His remarks come amid mounting calls from influential voices, including Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and some MPs, for the abolition of the OSP and the transfer of its investigative and prosecutorial functions back to the Attorney-General’s Department.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, December 3, Mr. Ayariga questioned why the Attorney-General’s Department remains under-resourced while substantial allocations are made to the OSP—an institution he believes has fallen short of public expectations.

As debate intensifies, policymakers and civil society actors continue to weigh options for restructuring and strengthening Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.