Here’s how much OSP recovered to protect public funds

Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has cited the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) record of financial recoveries, prosecutions and prevention of losses as evidence of the institution’s performance.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Agyebeng said the OSP’s effectiveness should be assessed based on measurable outcomes rather than political approval or reactions on social media.

“The office recovered GH¢8.5 million and US$2 million, while also pursuing the recovery of movable and immovable assets linked to corruption cases,” he indicated.

Agyebeng disclosed that as of December 31, 2025, the OSP was prosecuting 33 persons, with 79 cases at the full investigation stage and 161 others undergoing preliminary investigations.

The office, he added, had secured seven convictions through court-sanctioned plea bargains.

According to him, the OSP’s mandate goes beyond investigating and prosecuting corruption cases to preventing financial losses and addressing weaknesses in systems that facilitate corruption.

He cited interventions in the natural resources sector, the seaports and the customs regime as examples of measures that had helped protect state resources.

Agyebeng links attacks on OSP to discomfort over its investigative powers

Agyebeng also said the OSP had played a role in safeguarding the Tema Oil Refinery, which he noted was now operational after years of inactivity.

He further disclosed that the office’s intervention in the government payroll system had saved the state more than GH¢100 million.

“The OSP has saved the nation more than 20-fold the total amount of money released to it since its establishment,” he said.

Agyebeng maintained that the figures showed that the OSP had generated returns significantly higher than the resources invested in the institution.

He said its performance should instead be measured by the number of investigations undertaken, persons prosecuted, assets recovered, losses prevented, systems corrected and public funds saved.

“It should be gauged by investigations undertaken, persons prosecuted, assets recovered, losses prevented, systems corrected, public funds saved, and steps taken to prevent corruption,” he stated.

While acknowledging that criticism of the OSP was legitimate, Agyebeng urged critics to base their assessment on verifiable facts and statistics.

“So, when next it is said that the OSP has not performed, the answer is straightforward. Check the statistics and benchmark them against your preferred alternative,” he stressed.

MRA/AM

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