Adom-Otchere: NDC’s OSP concerns driven by fear, not law

Host of Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, has declared that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is uneasy about the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) due to its perceived independence from political control.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue, he argued that the party’s current posture toward the OSP is driven less by legal concerns and more by unease over how assertively the office enforces the law.

He pointed to the ongoing public and legal debate surrounding the OSP’s role in Ghana’s anti-corruption framework, including a case before the Supreme Court of Ghana challenging elements of its legal foundation.

According to Adom-Otchere, the NDC raised no objections to the OSP while in opposition. He noted that during the vetting of Attorney-General Dominic Ayine, concerns about the OSP’s prosecutorial mandate were not raised, but the position has since shifted in government.

“The reason why they are complaining about the OSP now is because of the OSP’s indicative independence to politicians. They saw the OSP do it to NPP, they enjoyed it. They have seen that this OSP is not shifting. He will do it to NDC and they are afraid,” he said.

His remarks follow a High Court ruling in Accra directing the Attorney-General to take over all criminal prosecutions initiated by the OSP, on the grounds that the office lacks the authority to prosecute criminal cases.

They also come amid an ongoing suit involving private citizen Noah Adamtey and the Attorney-General, which challenges the constitutional legitimacy and scope of the OSP.

The suit argues that prosecutorial authority under the Constitution rests solely with the Attorney-General under Article 88.

While the Attorney-General has raised similar concerns about the limits of the OSP’s independent powers, the case has placed Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture under intense judicial scrutiny, with the Supreme Court expected to define the legal boundaries between the two offices.