OSP Raises Concerns Over Insufficient Annual Budget

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is lamenting insufficient budgetary allocations, hindering its ability to fully execute its mandate.

According to the OSP, the funds released are inadequate, particularly considering the extensive rebuilding required after the departure of the previous Special Prosecutor.

Speaking on JoyNews’ ‘The Law’ programme, Director of Strategy, Research, and Communication at the OSP, Sammy Darko, revealed that the current team inherited an empty building and has been largely responsible for establishing the office’s infrastructure.

“We have been building this office from scratch, which means apart from an empty building that was donated to the office, the office had to be built from scratch, which means that you need to develop all the divisions of the office, you need to employ people, you need to put in place the infrastructure…” he explained.

“Remember that the office was also set up without an establishment budget, so the office is being built from the annual budget, which is not enough,” Mr. Darko added.

He expressed confidence that the OSP could achieve more with increased resources, highlighting the current lack of a forensic laboratory as a significant setback.

“So I’m saying that the office has had problems, people think that the office was just there and everything is there, even as we speak, we do not have a forensic lab,” he stated.

The OSP has faced criticism recently, with some questioning its effectiveness despite receiving substantial funding. However, Mr. Darko maintained that the office is still in its formative years and is actively addressing structural challenges.

Since 2018, the OSP has been allocated a total of GHs1.2 billion, but average annual releases have been around 50%.

This year, GHs71.8 million of the OSP’s budget is earmarked for salaries, exceeding allocations for goods and services and capital expenditure.

As of September, the office had already spent GHs52 million on employee compensation, with only GHs6.6 million utilized for capital expenditure.

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