'We need it' - Srem Sai backs OSP's role despite court ruling

Justice Srem Sai, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, stated that Ghana still needs the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), stressing its continued relevance in the country's anti-corruption framework. Speaking on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM on Friday, April 17, he said, "We need it," in response to a question on whether Ghana still requires the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

These comments follow a recent ruling by an Accra High Court that significantly affected the prosecutorial mandate of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). In its decision delivered on April 15, 2026, the court held that the OSP does not have the constitutional authority to independently prosecute criminal cases without authorisation from the Attorney-General's Department. The court directed that all ongoing prosecutions being handled by the OSP be transferred to the Attorney-General's Department. The ruling followed a legal action filed by private citizen Peter Achibold Hyde, who questioned the legal basis for the OSP's independent prosecutorial authority.

The High Court decision comes against the backdrop of a separate constitutional case already pending before the Supreme Court of Ghana. That suit was filed by private citizen Noah Ephraem Tetteh Adamtey, who is challenging the constitutionality of the law that established the OSP - the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959). The suit seeks to have portions of Act 959 declared unconstitutional, particularly provisions that grant the OSP authority to prosecute cases independently. Until the apex court delivers its final determination, the ongoing legal developments are likely to continue shaping the operational scope of anti-corruption prosecutions in Ghana.