Sammy Darko comments spark OSP criticism in AB Adjei case

Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) faces criticism after its Director of Strategy, Samuel Appiah Darko, claimed the AB Adjei trial only began following investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni’s report, a statement the journalist says is false.

Darko posted on Facebook on 2 December 2025, asserting “it is a fact that since the investigative journalist published his work, the trial is only now beginning.” He further argued that journalists provide merely a “spark” and that investigators must convert such material into admissible evidence.

Azure disputed the claim, noting he testified during the first trial and was cross‑examined from December 2022 to April 2024, meaning the case could not have started in December 2024. “The trial began in 2022,” he said, adding that the charge sheet bears the signature of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.

According to Azure, Dark’s description of OSP’s reliance on his findings is contradictory. He pointed out that while Dark said investigators initially depended on the journalist’s work, the OSP later found the case “hollow and lacking strong evidentiary support,” prompting a re‑investigation with parallel financial inquiries and document authentication.

Azure also highlighted an omission in OSP’s court filings – the audio‑visual documentary that formed the core of his investigation was not submitted, raising concerns about the transparency of the prosecution’s evidence base.

The controversy underscores tensions between Ghana’s investigative media and the Special Prosecutor’s office, with observers questioning procedural rigor and the handling of high‑profile corruption cases. OSP has yet to comment publicly on Dark’s remarks or Azure’s criticisms.

As the AB Adjei case proceeds, legal analysts expect further scrutiny of the prosecutor’s evidence strategy, and the episode may shape future collaboration between journalists and law‑enforcement agencies in Ghana.

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