12 civil society groups move to join Supreme Court case over OSP powers

A coalition of 12 civil society organisations says it will seek leave to appear before the Supreme Court in the Noah Adamtey case to argue in support of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

The groups want to participate as amicus curiae, or friends of the court, saying the legal challenge raises far-reaching questions about Ghana’s anti-corruption regime.

Their central argument is that weakening the Special Prosecutor’s prosecutorial mandate would do serious damage to public accountability and undermine confidence in efforts to tackle corruption.

According to the coalition, the OSP was deliberately designed as an independent institution with the authority to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences, especially cases involving politically exposed persons. In their view, any attempt to cut back that authority would diminish the office’s effectiveness.

They say the case now before the apex court is not just about statutory interpretation, but about the future direction of governance, transparency and the rule of law in Ghana.

For the coalition, the stakes are high enough to justify direct intervention.

Kojo Asante of CDD-Ghana, who serves as Director of Policy Advocacy and Engagement, said the national priority should be to strengthen the institution rather than strip it of powers. He also argued that if there are constitutional concerns, those can be addressed through the constitutional review process instead of rushing to dismantle the office’s current framework.

The coalition bringing the move includes CDD-Ghana, IMANI Africa, Transparency International Ghana, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, the Africa Center for Energy Policy and NORSAAC, among others.