Mahama saved OSP from being dismantled – Kissi Agyebeng

Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng says President John Dramani Mahama intervened to halt efforts to abolish his office.

Addressing an event on Tuesday, Mr Agyebeng disclosed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) faced serious threats in 2025, describing the period as both its most productive and most precarious.

He credited the President’s disposition for preventing what he suggested could have been the dismantling of the anti-corruption body.

“Had it not been the good nature of the president, the office would have been scrapped,” he stated, stressing that the intervention was decisive at a critical moment.

Mr Agyebeng warned that the attempt to abolish the OSP remains a lingering concern, cautioning against reliance on political goodwill for institutional survival.

“The attempt to scrap the office of Special Prosecutor last year is not dead,” he said, adding, “we should not depend on the goodness of the president to say, ‘Withdraw it from Parliament’.”

He argued instead for deliberate efforts to strengthen the office into a resilient institution capable of enduring political shifts.

“We should build an institution for the ages—an institution which stands the test of time,” he noted.

His remarks come amid renewed debate over the relevance of the OSP following calls by lawmakers led by Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to abolish the office.

Members of Parliament have argued that despite significant funding over the past eight years, the OSP has not demonstrated sufficient impact in tackling corruption.

They maintained that strengthening the Attorney-General’s Department could be a more effective alternative in prosecuting corruption-related offences.

Consequently, lawmakers did consider either a private member’s bill or an executive-sponsored legislation to dissolve the office.

Mr Agyebeng, however, insisted that reforms should focus on institutional strengthening rather than personalities.

“Do not make proposals because of my nature,” he said, urging stakeholders to design reforms that outlast individuals and safeguard the mandate of the office.