The Office of the Attorney-General is moving to take control of all ongoing prosecutions handled by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), following a High Court order that has raised fresh questions about the OSP’s prosecutorial authority.
Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem Sai confirmed that steps are already underway to implement the ruling, stressing that the Attorney-General will fully comply with the court’s directive.
“The Attorney-General has no intention or capacity to disobey or ignore the High Court’s order,” he stated, adding that the necessary processes to assume control of the cases will begin in the coming days.
The court’s decision was triggered by a legal challenge from an accused person, Peter Archibold Hyde, who questioned whether the OSP had the legal backing to prosecute without the express authorisation of the Attorney-General.
Hyde’s lawyers argued that both the Constitution and the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act require such authorisation. The court agreed, noting that the OSP failed to demonstrate that it had obtained the required approval—leading to the order for the Attorney-General to take over its cases.
The ruling has immediate implications for all ongoing prosecutions under the OSP, potentially shifting control of several high-profile corruption cases back to the Attorney-General’s office.
Beyond the immediate impact, the development is expected to reignite debate over the scope of the OSP’s independence and whether existing legal frameworks adequately define its prosecutorial powers.
As the Attorney-General moves to enforce the court’s directive, attention is now turning to how quickly the transition will be executed—and what it means for the future of anti-corruption prosecutions in Ghana.
