A delegation from the Kingdom of Eswatini has visited Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to study the country’s anti-corruption institutions, legal frameworks, and operational strategies, to strengthen similar systems in Eswatini.
According to a Facebook post by the OSP on Wednesday, March 10, the delegation was led by Jabu Phakathi, Commissioner of the Eswatini Anti-Corruption Commission, and included the Legal Advisor and Legislative Drafter from the Ministry of Justice & Constitutional Affairs.
The delegation met with Deputy Special Prosecutor Cynthia Lamptey and key directors at the OSP, who briefed them on the Office’s mandate, operational procedures, legal authority, inter-agency and international collaborations, stakeholder engagement, staffing structure, resources, and accountability mechanisms.
The delegation also examined Ghana’s legal framework that ensures the OSP’s independence from the executive, the appointment process, and the security of tenure of the Special Prosecutor, which enables cases to be prosecuted without interference from the Attorney General.
“They contrasted this with Eswatini, where the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner are political appointees of the King serving five-year terms, highlighting differences in institutional autonomy”, the post said.
Discussions further explored potential reforms to strengthen Eswatini’s anti-corruption system, including granting investigative powers to the Commission
The delegation also studied Ghana’s ongoing constitutional review proposals aimed at entrenching the anti-corruption body in the constitution, clarifying Article 88, and improving the management of unexplained wealth cases.
