The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has, in recent weeks, faced intense public scrutiny following its arrest and detention of private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu for what the office described as obstruction of justice.

According to earlier media reports, Kpebu was detained after a confrontation with a military officer during an invitation to assist the OSP with evidence related to allegations he had made against the institution.

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He was later granted bail, but the OSP’s actions have since sparked public debate, raising questions about its effectiveness in delivering on its mandate and its perceived posture as a security agency. These concerns have led some public figures to call for the office to be scrapped.

This GhanaWeb article highlights individuals who have publicly supported calls for the disbandment of the OSP.

Sam Okudzeto

Former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto, has criticised the OSP, stating that the institution has failed to justify its existence and should therefore be scrapped.

“Why was the institution set up? Has it achieved its purpose?” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express on December 8, 2025.

“That is exactly the issue that I’m trying to drive here. He hasn’t achieved his purpose because the corruption is still on. I see it every day. Everywhere you turn in every institution, you see it openly. They are not even afraid. People are no longer even afraid. You go there, and they demand money from you to do this for you, when you already paid,” he stressed.

Pressed on whether scrapping the OSP was the solution, Okudzeto stated plainly that the office had outlived its usefulness.

“Yeah, I’m saying that that institution is not achieving its purpose. Because look at it this way, you have an Attorney General’s Department. In that department, they have a civil section, and then they have a prosecutorial section. This one is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The other one is headed by the Solicitor-General. What is the Director of Public Prosecutions supposed to do? He’s supposed to prosecute criminal offences, which will include corruption, corruption-related offences.

"There is nothing which makes corruption any more different than any other crime. We have a Director of Public Prosecutions, that is his job. Why do you create another institution to do the same job? That’s the whole issue,” he said, as quoted by JoyNews.

Speaker Alban Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament has also expressed concern, arguing that the country is not seeing results from the OSP.

He recalled that during deliberations in Parliament at the time the OSP was being considered, he and several MPs raised concerns about its lack of constitutional basis.

“But we wanted to signal to the world that we are going to fight corruption and at the end of the day, we have seen the results. And we cannot continue to allocate that huge sum to the same office when we are not getting the results,” he said.

Mahama Ayariga

The Majority Leader has similarly joined calls for the OSP’s disbandment following Martin Kpebu’s arrest.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on December 6, 2025, he questioned the very existence of the office.

“So Mr Speaker, so lawyer Martin Kpebu was subsequently released last night, but it raises fundamental issues about the very existence of that office,” he said.

“I honestly think we should abolish it because we have experimented with it and we cannot see any achievements. There are major cases of clear corruption, but up to date, the office has not been able to do anything,” he added.

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Baffour Awuah

The MP for Manhyia South has echoed similar sentiments, stating that the OSP should be reviewed and possibly abolished.

“My personal position has been consistent that the office needs to be reviewed, possibly abolished and I will explain to you… In this Parliament, that's the ninth Parliament, this is the first time we've heard the voices of the NDC on the OSP. Indeed, coming out strongly that the office should be abolished,” he said on JoyNews.

MAG/MA

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