Professor Kwaku Asare is a legal scholar
Professor Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has called for the strengthening of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) Act instead of repealing it, amid criticisms that the office is not delivering rapid results.
In a Facebook post on December 5, 2025, Kwaku Azar said the OSP struggles not because the concept is flawed, but because it has been denied the tools and support needed to succeed.
“Getting rid of the OSP because it struggles is like burning down the hospital because there are sick people inside,” he stated.
OSP’s police powers are restricted to corruption cases — Kwaku Azar
Kwaku Azar highlighted the historical failure of the Attorney-General’s Department to tackle high-level corruption, noting that ordinary policing cannot address elite political looting.
He stressed that a strong OSP is essential to prevent political impunity, maintain public trust, recover stolen assets, and protect Ghana’s international reputation.
He identified ten key reasons for the OSP’s challenges, including slow courts, lack of investigative powers, weak witness protection, political interference, inadequate budgetary independence, procedural delays, narrow jurisdiction, and dependence on other government agencies.
Special Prosecutor has survived two assassination attempts – Sammy Darko reveals
To address these challenges, Kwaku Azar proposed reforms such as establishing specialized anti-corruption courts, granting the OSP access to asset declarations and lifestyle audits, strengthening witness protection, ensuring political and financial independence, clarifying jurisdiction, and enforcing cooperation from other state agencies.
Kwaku Azar said that the OSP is not a failed idea, but an institution ‘crippled by poor implementation,’ urging lawmakers and the public to focus on empowering the office rather than dismantling it.
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