Legal practitioner Kwame Adofo has launched a scathing attack on the record of Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), questioning its ability to lead an investigation into the AKSA bribery controversy.

Adofo said the OSP had been in operation since 2021 but had failed to demonstrate a record of successful convictions that would justify handing it another major corruption investigation.

“This OSP has been in power, has been in office since 2021. Show me one conviction that this guy has been able to convict. Nothing,” he said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (18 August).

He described the OSP’s record as “poor” and accused the institution of being more focused on public communication than investigations and prosecutions.

“I have completely written off the OSP’s office because it’s just a publicist office and nothing more,” he said.

Adofo’s comments followed questions over whether the OSP or the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) should lead investigations into the AKSA controversy.

He said the OSP had previously publicised its involvement in international investigations but questioned why the office had not subsequently announced concrete domestic investigations or prosecutions arising from information it obtained.

“If you’ve done and assisted other people, an investigation that you assisted was leading to or pointed to some individuals, why haven’t you done your own investigation until now?” he asked.

Adofo cited previous cases involving individuals investigated by the OSP as examples of what he described as shortcomings in the office’s work.

He also criticised the OSP over its handling of the case involving former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, saying the office’s attempt to prosecute the matter encountered legal setbacks before it subsequently said the matter fell outside its mandate.

Adofo further referred to the case involving former COCOBOD chief executive Stephen Kwabena Opuni, arguing that the OSP had demonstrated weakness in dealing with cases involving politically exposed persons.

He said the concerns went beyond the AKSA controversy and reflected a broader institutional problem.

“None of these institutions is fit to do this particular job. We should find somebody else,” he said.

Adofo suggested that an independent investigation or parliamentary inquiry could be considered, while acknowledging concerns about whether Parliament itself could be sufficiently independent if some lawmakers were connected to the matter.

He nevertheless rejected the idea that Ghana’s institutions should simply be abandoned.

Adofo said citizens and the media had a responsibility to scrutinise public institutions and call out failures.

“When they do something wrong we should call them out and criticise them and condemn them,” he said.

He said persistent public scrutiny was necessary to discourage officials from abusing public office and to help create a stronger culture of accountability.