Office of the Special Prosecutor — Ghana's anti-corruption institution whose constitutional validity is being challenged in the Supreme Court, with judgment scheduled for July 29, 2026.
A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court has granted an application by 14 civil society organisations (CSOs) seeking to join the case of Adamtey v Attorney-General, which is challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). …
Over the past year, Ghana’s attention has been on Ken Ofori-Atta, the former Finance Minister, who is facing corruption and corruption-related offences charges by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). …
… According to a post shared on Facebook by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), came before Criminal Court 1 of the High Court, where counsel for the Republic informed the court that earlier proceedings had been adjourned pending the Supreme Court’s ruling in Noah Ephraim A …
… Even the Airbus scandal reinforced the same unease: Ghana was again associated with allegations of corrupt influence in high places, only for the Office of the Special Prosecutor in August 2024 to say it had concluded its investigation without instituting criminal proceedings. …
… The Office of the Special Prosecutor was created in 2017 after years of public pressure for an independent prosecutorial body capable of pursuing politically exposed persons without the conflicts of interest inherent in the Attorney-General’s office. …
Former Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has asserted that during his tenure under the immediate past New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, he personally granted the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) the authority to prosecute cases, countering claims that the office la …
… The charges, filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in November 2025, include conspiracy to influence procurement processes and causing financial loss to the state. …
Fourteen civil society organisations, including CDD, IMANI and 12 other CSO’shave filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking permission to join a constitutional case challenging parts of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959). …
Immediate past Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has defended his relationship with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), insisting he never interfered with the anti-corruption body’s work during his tenure. …
Immediate past Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has strongly criticised moves by the current government which could weaken the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), describing the development as “shocking and perplexing.” Speaking on PM Express on Wednesday with host Evans …
The Accra High Court has declined the Office of the Special Prosecutor's (OSP) application to suspend enforcement of a ruling that halted its independent prosecution of criminal cases, directing instead that all criminal matters be referred to the Attorney-General's Department. The OSP plans to renew its stay application at the Court of Appeal and has filed substantive legal challenges at both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
Why it matters
High Court refusal to suspend the independent prosecution ban forces the Office of the Special Prosecutor into a strategic legal retreat with major implications for accountability institutions.
The Accra High Court has declined the Office of the Special Prosecutor's (OSP) application to suspend enforcement of a ruling that halted its independent prosecution of criminal cases, directing instead that all criminal matters be referred to the Attorney-General's Department. The OSP plans to renew its stay application at the Court of Appeal and has filed substantive legal challenges at both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
A June 2026 National Tracking Poll by Global InfoAnalytics found the Ghana Police Service scored 6.45 out of 10 on a corruption perception index, with the Immigration Service second at 5.69. While Police and Immigration scores improved slightly from previous waves, Business Executives recorded a worsening trend, and overall public optimism on anti-corruption declined from 56% to 54%.
The CEO of CenCES has urged the Attorney-General to consider accepting a plea bargain in the case involving Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako if it would serve justice and enable recovery of state resources, arguing that plea bargaining is an established component of Ghana's criminal justice system and can secure restitution while avoiding lengthy proceedings.
A coalition of 14 Civil Society Organisations has appealed to Ghana's Supreme Court to affirm the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, describing it as vital to the country's anti-corruption framework. The court is set to deliver judgment on July 29, 2026, in the case *Adamtey v. Attorney-General*, which challenges the legality of the law establishing the OSP.
Fourteen civil society organisations have submitted a joint defence of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to the Supreme Court ahead of a July 29, 2026 verdict in Adamtey v. Attorney-General, a case questioning the constitutional validity of the anti-corruption institution's establishment.
The Supreme Court will deliver a judgment on July 29, 2026, in a constitutional case brought by lawyer Noah Ephraem Tetteh Adamtey, challenging whether Parliament lawfully granted the Office of the Special Prosecutor independent investigative and prosecutorial powers, arguing the 1992 Constitution vests prosecutorial authority exclusively in the Attorney-General.
The Deputy Attorney-General and 14 civil society organisations appeared at the Supreme Court for a case filed in December 2025 challenging whether Parliament unconstitutionally granted prosecutorial powers to the Office of the Special Prosecutor. The Attorney-General's office argues that Article 88(3) of the Constitution vests prosecutorial powers solely in its office and that Parliament acted unconstitutionally by passing the OSP Act, 2017.
The Deputy Attorney-General and 14 civil society organisations appeared at the Supreme Court for a hearing on a constitutional case challenging whether Parliament had the authority to grant the Office of the Special Prosecutor independent prosecutorial powers. The case, filed by private legal practitioner Noah Ephraem Tetteh Adamtey, argues that Articles 88(3) and 88(4) of the Constitution vest prosecutorial authority solely in the Attorney-General, and that the OSP Act 2017 was unconstitutional.
Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine is scheduled to meet US Department of Justice officials to discuss pending extradition requests between Ghana and the United States. The announcement, made by Minister for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has renewed focus on Ghana's extradition request regarding former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Ghana's Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine is scheduled to meet United States Department of Justice officials for bilateral discussion on pending extradition requests between the two countries. The announcement has renewed attention on Ghana's extradition request for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Ghana's Attorney-General Dominic Ayine will hold bilateral discussions with the US Department of Justice on all pending extradition requests between the two countries. The announcement came as Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, convicted in absentia in April 2024, arrived in Accra after a two-year extradition process to begin serving her sentence, with several high-profile cases including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta currently in the extradition pipeline.
The Media Coalition for Good Governance has cautioned that unsubstantiated claims about Ghana's port operations threaten public health security and trade integrity. The coalition's convener stated that allegations against LCB Worldwide Ghana Ltd regarding port disinfection services lack verifiable evidence, technical reports, or regulatory assessments.
The Ghana Center for Democratic Development has called on citizens to demand transparency and strengthen accountability at the district level, particularly through Social Auditing Clubs using the Local Governance Act. The call was made during a training programme in Sogakope under the SARIS Project, which is funded by the EU and operates across 24 selected districts in Ghana.
An analysis argues that bail conditions imposed on suspects in Ghana have become increasingly severe in recent years, involving large cash sums and restrictive conditions that amount to de facto pre-trial punishment and undermine the constitutional guarantees of personal liberty and presumption of innocence.
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo led Ghana's delegation to the 17th Session of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Vienna, where she highlighted the government's anti-corruption initiatives including Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), youth engagement programmes, and capacity building efforts under President John Dramani Mahama's administration.
The High Court in Accra has adjourned the Office of the Special Prosecutor's application for a stay of execution of an earlier ruling that found the OSP lacks independent prosecutorial authority. The hearing has been rescheduled for 8 June 2026 after the respondent's legal team was unable to attend the originally scheduled hearing.
Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu said Ghana may need constitutional reforms to secure the long-term future of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, denying claims that the Mahama administration is plotting to weaken or scrap the anti-corruption office. He attributed current legal battles involving the OSP to constitutional interpretation rather than political interference, and noted that President Mahama previously intervened to stop attempts by some members of the then Majority in Parliament to abolish the office.
The Supreme Court has admitted 14 civil society organisations as interested parties in the case challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act. According to private legal practitioner Justice Abdulai, their intervention will introduce additional perspectives and insights beyond those of the original parties, enriching the proceedings and potentially shaping the court's final determination.
Ghana's Supreme Court has admitted 14 civil society organisations as friends of the court in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act. CDD-Ghana's director said the move is important because both the applicant and Attorney General held similar positions, leaving the court without an alternative perspective on the constitutional issues.
The Supreme Court has granted an application by 14 civil society organisations to join the case of Adamtey v Attorney-General, which challenges the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. The organisations include the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, Transparency International Ghana, and others with interests in governance and anti-corruption issues.
Ernest Darko Akore, Chef de Cabinet to former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, has left Ghana for the United States and is also implicated in the Strategic Mobilisation Limited corruption scandal. Unlike Ofori-Atta, Akore holds a U.S. passport in addition to his Ghanaian passport, which may complicate efforts to secure his return to face charges.
The Accra High Court has adjourned a criminal trial of public officers accused of failing to declare their assets, pending a Supreme Court determination in Noah Ephraim Adamptey v. Attorney-General. The court also acknowledged the death of one accused person, James Keck Osei, and adjourned proceedings to June 16, 2026.
An opinion piece argues that Ghana's oath-taking ceremonies for public officials have lost meaning given decades of corruption, mismanagement, and theft of public funds, citing unrecovered judgment debts and scandals like GYEEDA and SADA.
Ghana's anti-corruption architecture—built over three decades through the Office of the Special Prosecutor (created 2017), the Economic and Organised Crime Office, and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice—has come under simultaneous High Court and constitutional pressure. In April and May 2026, rulings declared the OSP's independent prosecutorial mandate void and expunged an EOCO lawyer from a high-profile case, threatening to reduce the system from functioning accountability to a "formally impressive but practically defanged structure."
Former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame asserted that he personally granted the Office of the Special Prosecutor authority to prosecute cases during his tenure, citing Section 4 of the OSP Act and legislative instruments as legal basis for the delegation.
The High Court in Accra has granted permission to Col. (Rtd.) Kwadwo Damoah, the sixth accused in the SML case and Member of Parliament for Jaman South, to travel to London between May 11 and May 15, 2026, for a training programme. Damoah is standing trial alongside former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and six others over 78 counts of alleged corruption and corruption-related offences linked to the SML contract.
CDD, IMANI and 12 other civil society organisations have filed an application to join the Supreme Court case Adamtey v Attorney-General as amici curiae, seeking to provide legal and policy perspectives on constitutional and public interest issues relating to Ghana's anti-corruption framework and institutional independence.
Immediate past Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has defended his relationship with the Office of the Special Prosecutor, insisting he never interfered with the anti-corruption body's work during his tenure and expressing shock at the current legal battle between the AG's office and the OSP.