AG Cries Out, High-Profile Probes Fade as Public Trust Collapses
By Gifty Boateng & Prince Ahenkorah
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is once again in the eye of a political storm this time for allegedly obstructing its own extradition efforts against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The public is furious, and legal observers are sounding alarms over what they describe as a pattern of delay, deflection, and dysfunction under Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
Despite requesting presidential assistance in June to bring Ofori-Atta back from the United States to face trial, the OSP has refused to hand over the investigative docket to the Attorney-General’s Office the only body legally empowered to initiate extradition.
The AG’s repeated requests have gone unanswered for over a month, leaving the process in limbo and fueling accusations that the OSP is deliberately stalling.
A Familiar Script: Loud Beginnings, Silent Endings
This latest impasse fits a troubling pattern. Since its inception, the OSP has launched several high-profile investigations with media fanfare only to go silent when results are expected.
From procurement scandals to politically exposed persons, many cases have quietly faded without explanation, despite public interest and taxpayer funding.
Ofori-Atta, who fled Ghana in January and was declared a fugitive in June, is wanted in connection with three major corruption probes:
– Payments for the abandoned National Cathedral project
– The controversial SML-GRA contract
– The termination of a technology deal with BXC
Yet, instead of cooperating with the AG’s office to process his extradition, the OSP responded only with the names of two prosecutors to join the team conspicuously omitting the docket and investigative report.
Public Demands Transparency, OSP Offers Silence
The public’s patience is wearing thin. Citizens, civil society groups, and legal experts are demanding to know why the OSP continues to sit on politically sensitive cases without explanation.
Many are asking why the office won’t prosecute Ofori-Atta in absentia, given his prolonged stay in the U.S. under the guise of medical treatment.
Agyebeng, a seasoned lawyer, insists on the former minister’s physical presence a stance critics say is a convenient excuse to delay proceedings indefinitely.
Credibility Crisis Deepens
The OSP’s refusal to act decisively has triggered a broader crisis of confidence in Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.
With no successful prosecutions since Agyebeng’s appointment, and a growing list of stalled cases, many now question whether the office is fit for purpose or merely a political smokescreen.
As the AG’s office awaits cooperation, and the public demands answers, one thing is clear: the OSP’s credibility is on the line. And unless it breaks its silence and delivers results, the institution risks becoming a symbol of the very impunity it was created to fight.