OSP Tightens Border Controls, Gains State Security Support to Stop Suspects From Fleeing
Photo Credit- Office of the Special Prosecutor Ghana
Accra, Ghana — The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced that it now enjoys full operational support from Ghana’s key state-security agencies, a move designed to stop individuals under investigation from evading justice by leaving the country.
In a candid interview on The KSM Show monitored by DM Media Online, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng revealed that his office can now rely on both the Ghana Immigration Service and National Security to block suspects at exit points, something he said was “impossible” in earlier years. “Now we can rely on the Ghana Immigration Service to block someone. Now we can rely on National Security to block someone,” he said. “At the time [former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta] left, you would call up Immigration, and no one would respond.”
Mr. Agyebeng recounted the obstacles his office faced during the transition period between administrations, claiming there had been a deliberate lack of cooperation from security agencies in 2024 and early 2025. “We didn’t watch him leave; we were powerless. That is the truth. The security setup was stacked up against the OSP so we could not perform our job,” he said.
He explained that the main perpetrator in one of the OSP’s ongoing corruption cases had already departed Ghana before 7 January 2025, when the new administration assumed office. “He left between 1st and 6th January. Who was in power during those few days? We don’t control the airports. We don’t control the exits. His cousin was president at the time,” Agyebeng noted pointedly.
He said repeated attempts to obtain cooperation from the National Signals Bureau and National Intelligence Bureau were ignored, describing the atmosphere as one of institutional isolation. “It was as if there was a policy to block the OSP out. You’d write to immigration, and no one would even bother to respond,” he said.
Agyebeng stressed that conditions have now “completely changed.” The OSP has secured strong inter-agency backing and closer coordination with the Attorney General’s Department, which he described as “essential for justice to prevail.” “The OSP must, and we will, always work together with the Attorney General. We are working for one republic, one Ghana,” he affirmed.
Regarding ongoing investigations, Agyebeng confirmed that a former senior official currently residing in the United States remains a key suspect. “We know the area in which he lives. But since he is in a foreign country, we cannot put a date on when he will be brought back. Extradition is a tedious process, and even the President of the United States can intervene,” he explained.
The OSP’s new measures come amid intensified investigations into the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) revenue-assurance contracts. Those under probe include former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and ex-GRA Commissioners-General Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti.
The renewed security coordination marks a turning point for Ghana’s anti-corruption drive, ensuring that high-profile suspects cannot flee before investigations conclude.
While anti-corruption advocates have welcomed the development, some legal observers warn that travel restrictions must follow due-process safeguards to prevent potential overreach.
For now, Agyebeng insists the changes restore long-lost institutional trust: “The situation is different now. The OSP has the cooperation it needs to perform its constitutional duty, no one is above the law.”
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