Sam Okudzeto Calls for Abolition of Special Prosecutor’s Office, Cites Zero Impact on Corruption
Former Ghana Bar Association President Sam Okudzeto has demanded the immediate scrapping of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), declaring it a failed institution that has achieved nothing in combating corruption since its inception.
Appearing on Joy News’ PM Express on December 8, 2025, Okudzeto challenged the OSP’s rationale: “Why was the institution set up? Has it achieved its purpose?” He answered firmly, “I don’t think so,” pointing to rampant bribery in public offices where officials openly demand payments without fear.
He argued that Ghana already possesses adequate mechanisms through the Attorney General’s Department, particularly the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), responsible for prosecuting all crimes, including corruption. “There is nothing which makes corruption any more different than any other crime. Why create another institution to do the same job?” Okudzeto asked.
Dismissing the idea of the OSP as a specialized anti-corruption body, he said Ghana misunderstood international models. “In other places, a special prosecutor addresses a specific problem temporarily—you don’t create a whole institution around an individual,” he explained, citing former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ghana’s late Justice D. F. Annan, both ex-Directors of Public Prosecution.
Okudzeto warned that building an office around one appointee without proper structural grounding is “dangerous,” urging reinforcement of existing prosecutorial systems instead. “That is what should have been done,” he insisted, aligning with growing calls to dissolve the OSP amid perceptions of inefficacy and politicization.
