President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, and the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, to withdraw a private member’s bill they sponsored aimed at repealing the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The request, detailed in an official statement from the Presidency dated Thursday, December 11, 2025, comes just a day after the bill was formally tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
The legislation seeks to abolish the OSP entirely and transfer its functions, including ongoing investigations, staff, assets, and liabilities, back to the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.
President Mahama’s intervention follows his public endorsement of the OSP during a courtesy call by the National Peace Council at the Jubilee House on Wednesday. Speaking to the delegation, the President described the OSP as a “vital cog in the fight against corruption,” emphasizing its unique prosecutorial independence and security of tenure, which insulates it from political interference.
“I think it’s premature to call for the closure of that office,” Mahama stated, highlighting that the OSP’s ability to prosecute cases without routing through the Attorney-General addresses public concerns about selective justice.
“People believe the Attorney-General will be very reluctant to prosecute his own. But if there is an independent office like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, it won’t matter who you are, because they have security of tenure and the prosecutorial authority to act,” the president said.
The bill’s sponsors, both from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), argue in the accompanying memorandum that the OSP has faced structural and constitutional hurdles since its inception in 2017.
They cite issues such as duplication of functions with the Attorney-General’s office, high administrative costs, operational inefficiencies, and limited impact relative to its budget.
Proponents of the repeal contend that consolidating prosecutorial powers under a single entity would streamline operations, reduce overheads, and enhance efficiency in Ghana’s criminal justice system, in line with Article 88 of the 1992 Constitution.
However, the President’s spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who doubles as the Minister for Government Communications, reiterated Mahama’s stance in the statement.
“The President’s request follows his public expression of support for the strengthening of The Office of Special Prosecutor as a vital cog in the fight against corruption at a meeting with The Peace Council yesterday,” the statement read.
Kwakye Ofosu also urged the OSP, currently led by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, to intensify efforts to build public trust.
“The President also reiterates his call on The Office of The Special Prosecutor to do more to boost public confidence in its work and frontally tackle corruption in line with the objectives informing the establishment of the office,” he added.
