The Executive Director of Transparency International, Mary Addah, has warned against making rushed decisions that could weaken Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Her comments follow reports that the Attorney-General’s Department may take over cases currently handled by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
During an interview on Thursday, she urged the Attorney-General to avoid actions that could limit the effectiveness of the OSP.
Madam Addah explained that Ghana must act carefully and protect its anti-corruption institutions. She noted that quick or poorly considered decisions could reduce public trust.
She said, “We shouldn’t be rushing to put in place some restrictions to curtail the fight against corruption, because that is the impression Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have, that we see some institutions as threats and we are going to take away their powers to make them toothless, so that they are not able to do anything or prosecute any agenda”.
She believes such actions go against the purpose for which the OSP was created.
Addah also pointed out that the government did not establish the OSP by chance. Leaders created the office to address long-standing concerns about how the Attorney-General’s Department handled corruption cases, especially those linked to political power.
She added that the state made a clear and intentional decision to set up the OSP, with strong political support and commitments from the presidency at the time.
According to her, the reasons for creating the OSP still exist today. She warned that weakening the office could undo the progress made over the past eight years.
“That reason has not been defeated. The implications on the fight against corruption, as I mentioned this morning, is that we are taking ourselves backwards, in fact, about eight years backwards,” she said.
Madam Addah emphasised that the OSP plays a key role in investigating and prosecuting corruption-related crimes, including procurement violations and the accumulation of illegal wealth.
She stressed that these problems still affect the country and require strong institutions to address them.
