Minority alleges strategy to dismantle OSP through courts and Parliament

The Member of Parliament for Gushegu and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, Hassan Tampuli, has alleged that recent legal and political actions targeting the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) are part of a deliberate and coordinated effort to weaken the institution following its pursuit of high-profile corruption cases.

Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority, Mr Tampuli argued that a series of petitions, parliamentary initiatives, and court actions directed at the OSP should not be viewed as isolated incidents. Instead, he described them as “political weapons” strategically deployed to undermine an institution he believes has been actively carrying out its anti-corruption mandate.

“The petitions were not serious legal instruments. They were political weapons designed to harass, delegitimise, and remove from office a public servant whose crime was that he was doing his job,” he stated.

His remarks come in the wake of a significant ruling by the Accra High Court on April 15, 2026, which declared all prosecutions undertaken by the OSP null and void on constitutional grounds. The decision has sparked widespread national debate regarding the legal standing, powers, and future of the anti-corruption body.

Mr Tampuli further revealed that petitions submitted to President John Dramani Mahama seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor were, in his view, carefully coordinated and timed to create a perception of widespread public dissatisfaction with the office.

According to him, some of these petitions were referred to the Chief Justice of Ghana for review, but failed to establish any prima facie case against the Special Prosecutor.

“Three referred formally to the Chief Justice. Zero prima facie case established,” he noted.

He claimed that following the failure of the petition process, efforts shifted to Parliament, where attempts were made to limit or curtail the powers of the OSP. However, he indicated that these efforts were unsuccessful and collapsed under scrutiny.

Mr Tampuli also pointed to a separate legal challenge currently before the Supreme Court of Ghana, filed by a private legal practitioner, which questions the constitutionality of the OSP’s prosecutorial authority. He described this development as the “third phase” of what he believes is a broader strategy to weaken the institution through multiple legal avenues.

“When you cannot kill an institution by statute, you attempt to do so through constitutional litigation,” he argued.

The Minority maintains that the timing of these events—including the High Court ruling, parliamentary actions, and the Supreme Court case—is not coincidental, but rather indicative of a sustained and coordinated effort to undermine the OSP.

The case before the Supreme Court remains pending, and its eventual outcome is expected to have significant implications for the future of anti-corruption efforts and institutional independence in Ghana.