By Prince Ahenkorah
Ghana’s anti-corruption chief, Kissi Agyebeng, is fighting a rearguard battle not just in the courts, but for his office’s reputation. Following a humiliating High Court rejection of its bid to freeze assets belonging to businessman Nana Yaw Duodu (‘Dr. Sledge’) and Goldridge Refinery, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has issued a defensive clarification: no charges have been filed, and the investigation is very much alive.
The statement, rare in its detail, is a direct response to media narratives suggesting the court had ‘cleared’ Duodu of corruption. The OSP insists that no court has ruled on his guilt or innocence, and that its wider probe into the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) between 2020 and 2024 involving transactions approaching US$94 million remains active.
But the fine print reveals the OSP’s predicament. In 2025, it unilaterally froze assets, including vehicles valued at GH¢18 million. When it sought court confirmation in January 2026, Justice Samuel D. Kotey of the Accra High Court not only refused but delivered a blistering critique.
The judge found the OSP had presented zero evidence of corruption, misappropriation, or any link between MIIF funds and the targeted properties. Crucially, the court noted the absence of any public officer in the alleged wrongdoing, suggesting the OSP was attempting to criminalise what looked like a contractual dispute.
For an office that prides itself on aggressive action, the ruling was a legal and public relations setback. The OSP has since appealed and insists the assets remain under its “authority, protection, and preservation.” Yet the court’s language was unambiguous: the OSP failed to meet the legal threshold to justify freezing private assets.
Critics, amplified by legal platforms like thelawplatform.com, argue the case exposes a troubling pattern pursuing high-profile seizures without the evidence to back them up. The OSP’s latest statement, therefore, is as much about managing perceptions as it is about stating facts.
By reiterating that investigations are ongoing and that charges may follow, it is buying time to rebuild a case that, so far, a judge has found fundamentally flawed. For Agyebeng, the challenge is clear: prove in court what the OSP has so far failed to establish, or risk seeing another high-profile investigation collapse under judicial scrutiny.