Public bias and partisan loyalty are being weaponised to undermine the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), according to renowned legal scholar and governance advocate, Professor Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar.
He cautioned that looters and their sympathisers are deliberately working to delegitimise the OSP by branding it as ineffective, long before its efforts can bear full fruit.
“This isn’t just noise. It’s a deliberate strategy. Looters and their apologists seek to erode public confidence in the OSP, portraying every anti-corruption effort as a witch-hunt,” he said.
In a write-up published on social media, Professor Asare decried the growing trend of selective outrage among the public, where citizens support accountability only when it targets political opponents but cry foul when their allies are implicated.
“We demand justice, but only when their people are in the dock. When it’s our opponents, it’s looting. When it’s our own, it’s political persecution,” he said.
He described this mindset as a threat to constitutional governance and the fight against corruption, calling for an end to what he termed “moral hypocrisy.”
Contrary to claims that the OSP is all talk, Kwaku Azar listed several accomplishments, including: 7 convictions and millions recovered through plea bargains; 8 ongoing criminal trials across Ghana; 67 active investigations in progress; ₵135 million saved and ₵280 million in shady contracts blocked; Major corruption rings disrupted at Customs and GES; and High-level referrals to EOCO for further action.
The facts, he said, speak for themselves, stressing this is not an institution asleep at the wheel.
While defending the OSP, Kwaku Azar criticised the judicial system for enabling delay tactics that frustrate corruption prosecutions.
“No anti-corruption effort can succeed if the courts remain a haven for adjournments, vacations, and endless interlocutory appeals,” he said.
He cited structural flaws such as mandatory judicial vacations, lack of case management, and the absence of strict timelines, which together tilt the system in favour of looters.
Professor Kwaku Azar called for a more holistic anti-corruption agenda involving prosecution, recovery, prevention, and judicial reform. He urged the public to support institutions like the OSP, even when the outcomes challenge political allegiances.
“If we can’t help fight corruption, the least we can do is not fight those fighting it,” he stressed
