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Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, Edem Senanu, has urged the Attorney-General to exercise restraint amid plans to take over cases currently being prosecuted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
His comments come in response to remarks by Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem-Sai, who indicated that the Attorney-General’s Department will move to assume control of ongoing OSP prosecutions following a recent High Court ruling.
The development stems from a legal challenge by Peter Archibald Hyde, an accused person in a case linked to a rice importation scandal. His legal team has argued that the OSP requires prior authorisation from the Attorney-General to prosecute, citing provisions in the Constitution and the OSP Act.
Speaking on Joy FM's Top Story on Thursday, Mr. Senanu cautioned against what he described as a premature and misguided interpretation of the High Court’s decision.
“The AG should slow down and allow democratic procedures to follow. The Supreme Court is the appropriate forum to provide clarity on this matter,” he said.
Mr. Senanu maintained that the High Court ruling has been widely misinterpreted, stressing that it was limited to the specific case before the court and does not extend to the broader question of the OSP’s prosecutorial powers.
“The court did not have the capacity to determine the generality of the OSP’s mandate. It cannot be used as a basis to transfer all cases to the Attorney-General,” he explained.
According to him, any attempt by the Attorney-General to take over OSP cases at this stage risks undermining due process and weakening public confidence in Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.
“This office is integral to the fight against corruption. We must be careful not to erode public trust or lose the goodwill we have built,” he warned.
Mr. Senanu also questioned the practicality of the Attorney-General assuming control of such prosecutions, noting that the office has historically faced challenges in prosecuting cases involving government officials.
“That is precisely why the OSP exists—to provide independent prosecutorial authority. We should not be turning this issue upside down,” he added.
He urged authorities to avoid misleading interpretations of court rulings and allow the proper legal processes to take their course. “We are not being deceived. Let the right processes prevail,” he said.
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