Mahama fully backs the OSP - Gov't rejects secret plot claims
John Mahama fully backs the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) - the government denies secret plot claims. Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu denied claims that the Mahama administration is secretly working to weaken or scrap the OSP, speaking on PM Express on Monday. He insisted President John Mahama fully supports the anti-corruption office and had previously intervened to stop efforts to abolish it.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the clearest proof of the President's support came last year when a bill was tabled in Parliament by the Majority Leader and Majority Chief Whip seeking to scrap the office. He said, "The majority at the time had 189 members, and if they had been whipped in line, we would have just approved it, and that would have been the end of the matter." He said President Mahama personally stepped in and urged party leaders to allow the institution to continue operating. Felix Kwakye Ofosu argued that recent legal battles involving the OSP were being wrongly interpreted as government attacks on the institution. He explained that one court case involved an accused person challenging the Special Prosecutor's authority to prosecute without the Attorney General's approval under constitutional provisions, and "The court upheld his position."
Felix Kwakye Ofosu also addressed a separate case before the Supreme Court in which the Attorney General was asked to state the legal position on the powers of the OSP. He said, "The attorney general is bound to take the position of the law," insisting the AG could not act outside constitutional provisions. According to him, President Mahama has publicly defended the OSP on several occasions despite concerns raised even within his own political party. He declared, "The special prosecutor's office has the president's full and absolute backing to do what he has to." He, however, stressed that the office must operate within the limits of the Constitution, and any legal
Quick Summary
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, government spokesperson, addressed claims that the Mahama administration is undermining the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). Recent legal battles involving the OSP are being interpreted as government attacks- but are they?
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