Sam Okudzeto: OSP Fails to Combat Corruption
Former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto, has expressed strong reservations about the effectiveness of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in tackling corruption, stating it has largely failed to achieve its intended purpose.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on December 8, Mr. Okudzeto argued that despite the OSP’s establishment, corruption remains “everywhere” in Ghana’s public institutions, suggesting the office has not brought about the desired change.
“I don’t think so. That is exactly the issue that I’m trying to drive here. It hasn’t achieved its purpose, because the corruption is still on. I see it every day. Everywhere you turn in every institution, you see it openly,” he stated.
He further criticized the idea of creating a standalone institution to combat corruption, suggesting it duplicates the existing mandate of the Attorney-General’s Department.
“You have an Attorney‑General’s Department… with a civil section and a prosecutorial section headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. There is nothing which makes corruption any more different than any other crime. Why do you create another institution to do the same job?” he questioned.
Mr. Okudzeto explained that the concept of a special prosecutor is typically employed to address a specific, arising problem, rather than constructing an entire institution around the role, as Ghana has done.
He cited examples of countries like England, where the Prime Minister previously served as the Director of Public Prosecutions, and Ghana itself, with former Speaker of Parliament Justice D.F. Anang also holding the same position, to illustrate that the role can effectively exist within existing structures.
According to Mr. Okudzeto, the ideal approach would have been to strengthen the existing Attorney-General’s Department instead of establishing the OSP.
“That is what should have been done. But I suspect that somebody thought that corruption was too rampant in the country, and, therefore, to create an institution for that purpose was a good idea,” he said, adding that building institutions around individuals without adequate preparation is “dangerous.”
“I’m just saying that when you don’t train people to do a job, you think that creating institutions, particularly when they think it’s just an individual, it’s dangerous. It’s very, very dangerous,” he warned.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
