OSP dismisses claims of strained relationship with Attorney-General

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has rejected perceptions of a strained relationship with the Office of the Attorney-General, insisting that the two institutions maintain a strong working relationship. The Director of Strategy, Research and Communications at the OSP, Samuel Appiah Darko, made the clarification when he called into JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, August 29. According to him, the OSP continues to collaborate effectively with relevant state institutions, particularly the Office of the Attorney-General, in carrying out its anti-corruption mandate.

Mr Appiah Darko said that although some members of the public may perceive recent developments as evidence of a clash between the OSP and the Attorney-General, that impression does not reflect the actual relationship between the two offices. “The reason why I have called on the show is to talk about these things. First of all, the issue that the OSP is not collaborating with the AG, I think that it is a wrong perception,” he said.

“Is that not obvious from your press conferences?” the host of the show, Samson Lardy Anyenini, asked him. He replied, “I know that people think that there is tension between the AG and the OSP. There could be tension, but you cannot also deny the OSP from also telling Ghanaians about some of the things that it is doing, and it wants to do.

For instance, if the OSP needs to respond to some information that has already been put in the public domain that may not be accurate and the OSP clarifies that, that does not mean that the OSP is breeding a fight or tension.” He maintained that the OSP enjoys cordial relations with its stakeholders and remains committed to the institutional cooperation required to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences effectively. His intervention followed concerns raised during the programme about what appeared to be inadequate collaboration between the OSP and the Attorney-General. Mr Appiah Darko’s remarks sought to assure the public that the two institutions are working together despite differences that may arise in the performance of their respective statutory responsibilities.

In recent times, the two institutions have appeared to disagree over their respective roles in Ghana’s fight against corruption, particularly regarding the AKSA bribery allegations and the Abu Trica case. Their public statements have also created the i… The Director of Strategy, Research and Communications at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Samuel Appiah Darko, has claimed that the Attorney-General (AG) has declined several requests from the office to collaborate on cases.

Mr Appiah Darko said the OSP had, on several occasions, approached the Office of the AG for cooperation but did not receive the requested support. “There are so many issues the OSP has kept quiet and not talked about. Look, there are instances where the OSP has approached the Attorney General’s office and said, let us collaborate in this matter and we have been turned down,” he claimed on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, August 29.