Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has criticised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), accusing it of underperforming despite receiving substantial financial support from the state.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, the South Dayi MP expressed frustration that the OSP continues to report limited prosecutorial outcomes even though it receives an average of GH¢250 million annually.
“The Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) gets ¢250 million on average, every year and every day he will report that I’m investigating 15 cases, I’m looking at 20 other cases and prosecuting about seven,” Dafeamekpor said.
He argued that the figures do not reflect the level of performance expected by Parliament and the Ghanaian public, given the significant resources allocated to the office.
“I think that we are not getting value for money,” he stated bluntly.
The lawmaker, however, was quick to clarify that his criticism is not directed at the institution itself or the anti-corruption agenda, but at the current leadership and its delivery.
“It’s not as if we don’t value the essence of fighting corruption and corruption-related matters,” he emphasised, noting that he played a central role in the passage of the legislation establishing the OSP.
“So it’s about the office holder. If the office holder can do more…” he added.
Dafeamekpor highlighted Parliament’s consistent support for the OSP’s requests, including approval for decentralisation efforts and staff expansion.
“He brought a report and said he wants to open regional offices. We supported him,” he recalled. “He wanted to recruit about 250, or more special staffers, so that he can operate in the regions. We supported him,” he continued.
“But all those things haven’t happened,” he lamented.
The Majority Chief Whip reserved some of his strongest remarks for the procurement of bulletproof vehicles for the Special Prosecutor and senior staff, insisting such approvals were meant to facilitate effective operations, not provide comfort in the absence of results.
“You ask for bulletproof vehicles. We agree that, because of the specialised nature of your work, we approve that you can use bulletproof cars for your operations,” he said.
“So a lot of your senior staffers, including yourself, you drive around in bulletproof cars. We didn’t give you bulletproof cars not to deliver,” he declared.
“We expect that you will deliver, but to sit in a bulletproof car and be prosecuting seven, eight cases is a no-no.”
The comments come against the backdrop of growing public and parliamentary scrutiny over the effectiveness of Ghana’s anti-corruption bodies, particularly whether they are delivering tangible results relative to the resources invested.
Established to investigate and prosecute corruption offences involving public officials and politically exposed persons, the OSP has faced persistent questions about the pace and impact of its work.
When pressed on whether he still believes the country is not getting value for money, Dafeamekpor answered affirmatively but indicated that Parliament is not yet ready to take drastic measures.
He pointed to recent signs of improvement in the OSP’s mid-year report, which he said he had reviewed.
“This time, they are able to indicate the actual things,” he noted, particularly praising clearer reporting on asset recovery and savings.
Despite his strong critique, the MP said Parliament would exercise patience for now.
“So I believe they can and will do more, so for now we are staying our hands,” he concluded, expressing hope that the office will step up its performance in the coming period.