Minority alleges coordinated plot to weaken OSP through legal and parliamentary actions

The Member of Parliament for Gushegu and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, Hassan Tampuli, has raised concerns over what he describes as a deliberate attempt to undermine the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority, Tampuli said recent legal challenges and political actions against the anti-corruption body are not random or disconnected.

Instead, he believes they form part of a broader, coordinated effort to weaken an institution that has taken on high-profile corruption cases.

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At the heart of his concern is a growing sequence of events from petitions seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor, to parliamentary actions and court cases, all of which he says point to a common agenda.

“The petitions were not serious legal instruments. They were political weapons designed to harass, delegitimise, and remove from office a public servant whose crime was that he was doing his job,” he said.

His remarks come in the wake of a controversial April 15, 2026, ruling by the Accra High Court, which declared all prosecutions by the OSP null and void on constitutional grounds.

The decision has since sparked widespread public debates about the future and independence of the anti-corruption agency.

Hassan Tampuli told journalists that petitions submitted to President John Dramani Mahama seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor were “coordinated and strategically timed,” suggesting they were meant to create a perception of public dissatisfaction rather than reflect genuine legal concerns.

He noted that when the petitions were referred to the Chief Justice for review, none established a prima facie case.

“Three referred formally to the Chief Justice, zero prima facie case established,” he stated.

According to him, after those efforts did not succeed, attention shifted to Parliament, where attempts were made to limit the powers of the OSP moves, which he said ultimately failed in the public eye.

He also pointed to a case at the Supreme Court, filed by a private legal practitioner challenging the constitutionality of the OSP’s prosecutorial authority.

Tampuli described this as the “third phase” of what he believes is a sustained campaign to weaken the institution through legal means.

“When you cannot kill an institution by statute, you attempt to do so through constitutional litigation,” he argued.

NA/AE

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