Parliament has approved the sum of GHS 149,005,669 for the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
This amount was approved for the year ending December 2024.
The motion was moved by the Deputy Attorney-General, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, on behalf of the Attorney-General who was out of the jurisdiction.
“Mr Speaker that said, I move on item 10 of the order paper to approve a total of GHS 149,005,669 for the services of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for the year ending 2024.”
Diana Asonaba Dapaah
Members of Parliament were of the view that the OSP performs despite the scarce resources which is not alien to other state agencies that perform well too. Also, it was underscored the lack of enough resources could not be interpreted as a lack of government commitment to fit in corruption.
The majority in particular entreated the OSP to use the facility efficiently.
The OSP has indicated that it intends to recruit 50 specialized staff, train 200 staff on the rudiments of intelligence gathering, procure security and intelligence equipment investigate 50 cases, and recover some 5 assets in 2024.
Also, Honorable Nelson Dafeamekpor entreated state institutions to collaborate with the office to fight corruption.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in Ghana was established to combat corruption and promote accountability in public office. However, the OSP has faced several challenges since its inception, hindering its effectiveness in achieving its objectives.
A significant challenge is the lack of adequate resources and funding. The OSP requires sufficient financial and logistical support to carry out its investigations effectively. Insufficient funding limits the office’s capacity to employ skilled personnel, acquire necessary technologies, and conduct thorough investigations, thereby impeding its ability to tackle corruption cases efficiently.
Speaker Of Parliament Bemoans OSP Formation
Earlier, in his address during the deliberation on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, asserted that the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) was ineffective in combating corruption.
Bagbin emphasized the need to separate the Attorney General’s department from the Ministry of Justice for a more efficient anti-corruption strategy.
““As for the law passed on the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, I did tell you that it was an act in futility, and was not going to achieve anything but you went ahead and passed it.”
Alban Bagbin
He further emphasized that for effective combat against corruption, adequate funding must be allocated to the Attorney General’s department, enabling it to function independently.
“I am very clear in my mind that that authority is embedded in the powers of the Attorney-General constitutionally… You separate the two – the Minister of Justice is a political appointee – the Attorney-General is a technical person,” he added.
The Speaker’s statement echoes sentiments previously shared by the Parliamentary Minority since the inception of the Office. Earlier, the group claimed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor had failed to secure convictions in any corruption case.
Minority Chief Whip, Governs Agbodza, conveyed to journalists that the existence of the office seemed redundant given the presence of various investigative bodies in the country.
“While some of us believe that that office was needless, because EOCO, CID, and financial crime unit offices can combine and do a good job, the government insisted that the OSP will do more jobs. Are you aware that as we speak, they have not been able to successfully prosecute a single case, and anybody punished? So the question is how useful is that office? So we are saying that other people could have done the same thing.”
Governs Agbodza
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