Why 'politically-exposed' persons are calling for OSP to be scrapped – Lawyer explains

"Politically-exposed" persons are leading calls to scrap the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) because it appears to be the only institution to hold them accountable, according to lawyer and lecturer at the Ghana School of Law, Bobby Banson.

Speaking on JoyNews on December 13, 2025, Banson explained that the OSP currently seems to be the only independent institution with statutory authority to investigate and prosecute politically-exposed persons, which is why these individuals are pushing for the office to be dismantled.

Moves to remove OSP gains ground as two NDC MPs submit bill to repeal OSP Act

“I feel, sadly, that the only reason why there’s a lot of talk about doing away with the OSP is because the office, as it stands now, seems to be the only independent institution with the statutory opportunity to go after politically-exposed persons and their cronies,” he said.

The private legal practitioner added that the OSP’s focus on politically-exposed individuals is crucial because the Attorney General’s Office, affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, is a political appointment and rarely prosecutes members of its own political party.

“My worry is that the narrative for the OSP to be scrapped is actually being trumpeted more by politically-exposed persons and politicians. But the law that was passed, the OSP, is targeted at them. And if we, the citizens, allow them to have their way, because there was a reason why the OSP Act was passed. It was to fill a certain lacuna in the prosecutorial powers of the Attorney General.

“And we all agree that because the Attorney General is a political appointee, until the office of the Attorney General is decoupled from the Minister of Justice, there may not be the political will for an Attorney General to prosecute members of his own political party. There have been a few exceptions,” he stated.

Lawyer Bobby Banson also called on citizens, the media, and politically-exposed persons to focus on ways that they could contribute to making the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) better rather than highlighting its weaknesses.

“I think instead of trumpeting only the weakness of the OSP, as citizens, as the media, as the politically-exposed persons, we should look at how we can contribute to making the OSP act as an institution,” he urged.

Bobby Banson further noted that if politically-exposed persons allow the OSP to operate independently, it could become an institution worth celebrating in the years ahead.

“If we allow it to be as independent as it should be, if the politicians and the politically-exposed persons allow the office to operate without any form of influence whatsoever—remember, their mandate is to carry out their duties not under the direction of any person. It’s in their law. Not under the direction of any person. Then, if we allow that to be, I think that in years to come, the OSP office will be one that we will be celebrating,” he added.

Watch the video below:

“The only reason there is talk about scrapping the OSP is because it appears to be the only institution with the statutory authority to go after politically exposed persons and their cronies.”

— Bobby Banson (Esq)#Newsfile pic.twitter.com/IUGmKJVMiA

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) December 13, 2025