Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has accused some public officers of mounting coordinated attacks against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in an attempt to weaken the institution or have it abolished.

According to him, the attacks are largely driven by discomfort with the OSP’s mandate, particularly its power to independently investigate corruption cases and determine who to investigate.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Agyebeng said the OSP had conducted an internal assessment of the criticisms levelled against it and acknowledged that the institution had made mistakes in the course of its work.

He, however, argued that such mistakes were not sufficient grounds to dismantle an institution established to fight corruption.

“We acknowledge that we have made mistakes. We do not claim to be a perfect institution,” he said.

Mr Agyebeng maintained that the mistakes identified were commonplace and that the OSP had taken steps to correct them.

He questioned the logic of seeking to collapse a public institution simply because it had made errors.

“If the basis of collapsing a public agency is that the entity in question committed common mistakes in the ordinary course of its work, then every public institution in Ghana should immediately be shut down,” he argued.

The Special Prosecutor said the OSP’s introspection had led it to conclude that the sustained criticism was connected to the powers vested in the institution.

“Our introspection leads us to conclude rather startlingly... that the coordinated attacks against the OSP to shut it down or at least render it ineffectual are largely traceable to what the office stands for and its powers and functions,” he said.

He identified the OSP’s independent investigative powers and prosecutorial mandate as particular sources of discomfort for some public officers.

He said the ability of the OSP to independently decide who to investigate and which cases to pursue within its mandate had generated resistance from some quarters.

“These functions and powers of the OSP represent such a spectrum of discomfort among some public officers that they would rather see the office abolished,” Mr Agyebeng said.

He insisted that the institution remained open to legitimate criticism but rejected what he described as efforts to undermine its existence or essential powers.