Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni says the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is failing in key corruption cases.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on December 8, he said he no longer sees the OSP as the strongest institution in the fight against corruption.

According to him, “I sincerely believe that we need an independent office to prosecute corruption. I said on Newsfile, however, that as I stand here today and knowing what I know, if I were a corrupt person, I would fear O/RAL and EOCO more than I would fear OSP.”

He noted that the OSP’s challenges are evident in several cases, including one he describes as far “less complex than the SML thing,” yet he has seen no meaningful action since 2019.

“This is just one example of a case that is less complex than the SML thing.
Since 2019, when that office was petitioned, till date, nothing much has really happened. And Sammy Darko has written on Facebook confirming that the OSP did not do any investigation on its own—criminal investigations—before proceeding to court with that case,” he said.

Manasseh revealed that Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng personally informed him that the OSP went to court relying on investigations done externally.

“Kissi Agyebeng also told me when I spoke to him that the OSP went to court on my investigation—that of CHRAJ—and because he has now told me he’s ordered a new investigation and could even withdraw the case that is in court and file again, it suggests that even after filing the second time, no proper investigation was done.”

He argued that delays in the AB Adjei case cannot be blamed on the courts or defence lawyers.

“So if this case is taking this long and it’s not because AB Adjei’s lawyers are frustrating the case, it is not because the court is frustrating the case—it is because the OSP itself is frustrating the case. Then this does not show enough seriousness to the fight against corruption.”

Despite his harsh criticism, Manasseh said he still believes the office is needed—but without excuses.

“So, my suggestion, or if I had my way, the office should be kept. But we shouldn’t take these excuses that are coming from Kissi Agyebeng and the OSP—that Ken Ofori-Atta’s cousin was in office, so we couldn’t do much, and all of that.”

He warned that the OSP risks losing credibility if it continues to rationalise inaction.

“This office was set up not only to look at post-regime accountability. Are we going to say that the government will change hands one day and the OSP will be telling us that 'we had this case; we couldn't act because this person was close to President Mahama,' or that?

He concluded with a stinging caution, “If these excuses, which are now turning the OSP into an Office of Special Excuses, are allowed to continue, I bet you we will continue to spend so much money in this office, and it will end up being a drain on the national coffers without any impact.”