The simmering legal tensions between the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and media personality Paul Adom-Otchere have erupted into a full-scale High Court application.
Mr. Adom-Otchere, the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), has initiated legal action seeking to quash a highly controversial directive from the OSP demanding that he declare his property and income.
The legal challenge, filed at the High Court (General Jurisdiction Division), pits one of Ghana’s most powerful investigative bodies against a veteran mediaman, signalling a major test of the OSP’s expansive powers under the law.
The Core of the Dispute: Unlawful Directive
The application, which was filed on the instructions of Mr. Adom-Otchere, attacks the legality of the OSP’s directive issued on 4 August 2025.
The core argument advanced by his legal team, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Dame, is that the directive is fundamentally unlawful, violates the provisions of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and its regulations, and constitutes a clear abuse of power by the Special Prosecutor.
The OSP, headed by Kissi Agyebeng, issued the property and income declaration order as part of its ongoing investigation into Mr. Adom-Otchere.
Facts and Figures of the Investigation:
- Subject of Inquiry: Suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.
- Specific Allegation: The award of a revenue assurance contract by the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) to a private entity, Evatex Limited.
- Date of OSP Directive: 4 August 2025.
- Legal Framework at Issue: The OSP Act, 2017 (Act 959).
Seeking Judicial Intervention: The Reliefs Demanded
Mr. Adom-Otchere is seeking four crucial reliefs from the High Court, which aim to curtail the OSP’s actions and protect his rights. These reliefs are detailed below:
| Relief Sought | Description | Alleged Grounds |
| Declaration of Unlawfulness | A court declaration that the OSP’s directive for wealth declaration is unlawful. | Violation of Act 959, its regulations, and abuse of power. |
| Declaration of Harassment | A declaration that the OSP’s directive, coupled with alleged threats of “legal consequences,” “confiscation,” and “detention,” amounts to harassment of the applicant. | Unreasonable and intimidating use of investigative power. |
| Prohibitory Order | An order of prohibition preventing the OSP from detaining or threatening to detain Mr. Adom-Otchere. | Unconstitutional threat to personal liberty should he refuse to comply with the property declaration deadline. |
| Quashing Order (Certiorari) | An order of Certiorari to quash the OSP’s directive entirely. | The directive is fundamentally void and has no legal effect. |