The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has disclosed that the office has been investigating the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat since July 2023, as part of an effort to tackle alleged corruption within the institution.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 10, the OSP reiterated its commitment to probing instances of corruption and related offenses, with the Scholarship Secretariat identified as a key target for scrutiny.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor commenced investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences at the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat circa July 2023. The investigation is active and ongoing,” the OSP stated.
The Scholarship Secretariat has been in the news over the past week following a Fourth Estate investigation, which revealed that scholarships were sometimes offered to individuals from financially stable homes and those connected to politicians.
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The Fourth Estate was initially denied access to the list of beneficiaries by the Scholarship Secretariat in March 2021. However, they persisted and appealed to the Right to Information (RTI) Commission.
The RTI Commission ruled in favour of disclosure, stating that transparency is crucial since the scholarships are funded with public money. It was stipulated, however, that personal information must be redacted before the data is released.
The Scholarship Secretariat’s response to the RTI request revealed that it had spent GHS237.5 million and GHS200 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively, on both foreign and local scholarships.
Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, has urged the Special Prosecutor to launch a thorough investigation into suspected corruption at the Scholarship Secretariat. This call comes at the back of Fourth Estate’s revelations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ayariga highlighted the urgent need for scrutiny, citing concerns over what he described as “despicable abuse” within the Secretariat under the current leadership.
“It has become necessary to petition your office due to the despicable magnitude of abuse the Scholarship Secretariat under the current leadership has exhibited. I am therefore by this petition calling for a full-scale investigation into the activities of the Registrar and associated staff of the Secretariat regarding the award of scholarships,” said Ayariga.
The plea underscores growing demands for transparency and accountability within public institutions, as stakeholders await potential action from the Special Prosecutor in response to these allegations.