The Minority in Parliament has called on President John Dramani Mahama to publicly declare his position on the ongoing legal tussle surrounding the prosecutorial mandate of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The legal controversy involves a recent High Court ruling on April 15, 2026, which directed the Attorney-General’s Department to take over all criminal prosecutions currently being handled by the OSP, pending formal approval from the Attorney-General.
The decision stemmed from a judicial review application challenging the prosecutorial powers of the anti-corruption body.
Addressing the press in Parliament on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Deputy Ranking member on Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Alhassan Tampuli accused the government of sending mixed signals regarding its support for the anti-corruption body, particularly after the Attorney-General’s legal arguments in court.
According to the Minority, the President cannot continue to publicly endorse the OSP while his Attorney-General is perceived to be advancing positions that could undermine the institution’s prosecutorial mandate.
The Minority urged the President to take a definitive and public stance on whether he supports the continued operation and independence of the OSP or aligns with what they describe as efforts to weaken it.
“We call on President Mahama to come clean with Ghanaians. He cannot continue to claim publicly he supports the OSP while his own Attorney-General argues for its own constitutional destruction at the High Court and the Supreme Court.
“The President must choose and he must choose publicly. Does he stand with the OSP or he stands with the campaign to destroy the OSP?” the Minority stated.
Turning its attention to Parliament, the Minority demanded that the Attorney-General be summoned to account for his position in the ongoing legal dispute.
It described as “constitutionally unacceptable” any situation where the State’s Chief Legal Officer appears to argue against a statutory institution without parliamentary scrutiny.
The caucus indicated its readiness to file formal questions and potentially initiate a parliamentary inquiry.
They further demanded swift legal action to challenge the ruling, calling on the OSP to immediately file an appeal and apply for a stay of execution at the High Court.
In addition, they proposed that the OSP seek a writ of certiorari at the Supreme Court to quash the High court decision.
The caucus also called on the Supreme Court to expedite its determination in the case of Adamtey versus the Attorney-General, noting that only the apex court has the authority to definitively resolve questions regarding the prosecutorial mandate of the OSP.
Reaffirming the rationale behind the establishment of the OSP, the Minority argued that the institution was created to ensure independent prosecution of corruption cases, particularly in situations where reliance on government may present conflicts of interest.
