It is emerging that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), though it has come under huge criticisms recently, is one of the easiest avenues the government can rake in revenue.
This new twist is coming amid calls to scrap the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) due to a lack of value for money, alleged unconstitutionality, and abuse of power.
This is the case of legal practitioner, Prof. Stephen Asare, widely known as Prof. Kwaku Azar, who believes that a smarter, simpler path to deal with the OSP is not destruction, but real support.
By strengthening the OSP, he believes that the country could recover far more than it invests, helping curtail the billions lost to corruption each year.
Ghana Is Losing Billions – A Strong Case for OSP
Estimates from anti-corruption watchdogs, especially the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coation (GACC), put Ghana’s annual losses from graft, tax evasion, smuggling, and state-sector mismanagement at around US$3 billion.
The figure is estimated to range between US$3 billion and US$9 billion annually.
For instance, the Auditor-General’s report on public institutions reportedly lost over GH¢9 billion to irregularities in just 2023.
Meanwhile, a recovery initiative recently identified potential reclaimed assets and funds worth over US$21 billion, pointing to the massive scale of past losses.
Given these figures, Prof. Azar believes even a modest but well-powered anti-corruption office could yield returns many times larger than its running cost.
Why Scrapping OSP Would Be Counterproductive
Prof. Asare warns that abolishing the OSP would effectively restore impunity for political elites and powerful individuals. This will undo decades of effort to hold them accountable. The traditional judicial and prosecutorial apparatus has historically struggled to take on high-level corruption.
Without a dedicated institution like the OSP, experts say elite corruption becomes far harder to detect or prosecute. The result: more stolen public funds, stalled development, and deeper public mistrust.
The Easy Investment: Strengthen the OSP, Not Drop It
According to Prof. Asare, strengthening the OSP by granting it resources, independence, and proper tools is “the easiest investment” Ghana can make.
The cost of running a competent anti-corruption body is small compared with the losses it can prevent.
“A strong OSP pays for itself many times over. Corruption costs us billions. Strengthening the OSP costs a fraction of that. This is the easiest investment decision the government will ever face. So yes, the OSP must be improved. But those asking for repeal are attacking the wrong target,” Prof. Azar indicated.
He added, “The OSP struggles, no doubt. But not because the concept is bad or flawed, but because we have denied it the tools to succeed.”
Beyond recovering lost assets, a working OSP can deter future graft, enabling the government to redirect funds toward education, healthcare, roads, and other public services that citizens actually need.
