Minority claims coordinated effort to weaken OSP after High Court decision

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has launched a blistering attack on the government, alleging a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained campaign” to weaken and ultimately dismantle Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture, particularly the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Addressing a press conference on April 21, 2026, the caucus described recent legal and political developments, culminating in a High Court ruling on April 15, as part of what it termed “the anatomy of a conspiracy.”

“The MPP Minority Caucus is engaging the media not merely to contest a High Court ruling,” the group declared. “We do this to expose… a deliberate, coordinated and sustained campaign… to suffocate, neutralize and ultimately destroy the Office of the Special Prosecutor.”

At the heart of the controversy is the High Court’s decision, which declared that the OSP lacks constitutional authority to initiate prosecutions and ordered the transfer of its cases to the Attorney General. The Minority insists the ruling is flawed and politically motivated, arguing that it forms part of a broader sequence of events dating back to December 2025.

“What happened on 15th April, 2026… was not a spontaneous act of judicial reasoning,” the caucus claimed. “It was the latest maneuver in a campaign that stretches back” months earlier.

The Minority traced the origins of the dispute to the December 3, 2025 detention of private legal practitioner Martin Pebu following a confrontation at the OSP’s offices. According to the caucus, this incident triggered a series of actions—including petitions for the removal of the Special Prosecutor and a controversial attempt to repeal the OSP Act.

Within days of the incident, a private member’s bill was introduced in Parliament seeking to abolish the OSP entirely. Though the bill was later withdrawn after public backlash and presidential intervention, the Minority insists it marked the beginning of a multi-pronged effort.

“The bill proposed one thing—the total abolition of the OSP,” they said, dismissing official justifications as “thin pretexts.”

Further escalating tensions, the caucus cited what it described as an “unprecedented” wave of petitions against the Special Prosecutor. “When was the last time… that 15 petitions were filed against any public office holder? The answer is zero,” they argued, noting that the Chief Justice ultimately found no prima facie case in any of them.

The Minority also took issue with the Attorney General’s conduct in an ongoing Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of the OSP’s prosecutorial powers. “The Attorney General… did not defend the state’s own institution,” they said. “He joined the assault.”

Describing this as “an act of constitutional betrayal,” the caucus accused the government’s chief legal officer of undermining the Republic’s legal framework.

The group further questioned the timing and circumstances surrounding the High Court ruling, asking: “How did a private application… produce, with such perfect timing, exactly the outcome that the Attorney General has been pursuing?”

Maintaining that only the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over constitutional interpretation, the Minority rejected the ruling outright. “Act 959 remains valid… The OSP’s mandate subsists,” they insisted.

The caucus has called for an immediate appeal, urging the OSP to challenge the decision and seek a stay of execution. It also demanded expedited proceedings at the Supreme Court and parliamentary scrutiny of the Attorney General’s actions.

In a direct appeal to the President, the Minority posed a pointed question: “Does he stand with the OSP or… with the campaign to destroy it?”