Engages in Social media war with Journalist
front desk
A bitter battle of egos is raging between investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) Director of Strategy and Research, Lawyer Sammy Darko.
The flashpoint? The explosive Strategic Mobilization Limited (SML) contract scandal linked to the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
Openly jousting across social media platforms, the dispute has morphed into a no-holds-barred war of words centring on who truly exposed the SML corrupt deal. Yet what has become equally gripping and concerning is the increasingly talkative nature of Sammy Darko himself.
Sources within the OSP describe Darko’s constant venting on social media each time the OSP’s name surfaces as a growing headache for the office.
His towering ego, coupled with an appetite for public bullying, fuels a toxic atmosphere that insiders say risks damaging the integrity of the entire prosecution effort.
The spat began with Manasseh calling out the OSP’s claim of saving Ghana US$2.7 billion from the SML scandal as “patently false,” pointing to the contract value of just over US$500 million.
Exploding the narrative, Manasseh demanded the evidence underlying the office’s inflated figures.
Darko initially punched back on November 23 utilizing an X-Space conversation, framing the sum as “potential savings.” But when pressed, he swiftly retreated, clarifying that the gigantic figure was hypothetical and not confirmed. Observers watching Darko’s evasions on social media found his flip-flopping unconvincing, and Manasseh’s evidence more credible.
Further animosity ignited on the timing of the investigation. The OSP claims it commenced probing SML in December 2023, while Manasseh’s own perusal of official OSP diaries placed the start at January 29, 2025. Manasseh released the “Diary of Action Taken” from the office, revealing late January entries and undermining Darko’s earlier assertions.
Darko, known for his social media verbosity, fired back with barbs implying Manasseh was self-aggrandizing and neglecting the collective nature of the probe. He insisted that the investigation was broad, involving multiple teams and substantial groundwork well before Manasseh’s timeline.
“This ego-centric portrayal by Manasseh paints him as the centre, when the investigation involves the whole Republic,” Darko wrote, insinuating the journalist doubled as a hatchet man possibly protecting Akufo-Addo’s legacy.
Yet, insiders report that Darko’s unrelenting online diatribes, often laced with personal attacks, have grated on colleagues and complicated intra-office dynamics. His social media barrages, instead of bolstering, have fractiously distracted from the OSP’s core mission.
As the legal battle moves forward with trials against eight high-profile defendants among them fugitive former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta the public is left grappling not only with corruption revelations but also with questions about prosecutorial decorum and focus.
Darko claims credit for halting corrupt contracts and saving public coffers millions in lost oil and gold revenues. He insists the cancellation of SML’s deal was under President John Mahama, not Akufo-Addo, whose administration signed the contract and later allowed operations to continue.
Amid the noisy exchanges and shielded courtroom proceedings, the OSP’s credibility hangs in the balance, buffeted by Darko’s combative style and Manasseh’s relentless scrutiny.