Ghanaian lawyer and activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has cautioned public office holders against any actions that may interfere with, or appear to interfere with, ongoing criminal investigations.
In a Facebook post on June 23, 2025, Barker-Vormawor emphasised that it is in the interest of all appointees to stay clear of investigative processes, adding that the principle of non-interference should be clearly codified in the revised Code of Conduct for public officers.
His remarks follow reports that political science lecturer, Professor Ransford Gyampo, contacted the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) during an ongoing search involving Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), a private firm at the center of recent controversy. "With all due respect to Ransford, only the Attorney-General should determine whether an investigation may cause financial loss to the State, particularly when you are not in a supervisory position over the investigative agency and cannot be presumed to know what information the agency possesses," Barker-Vormawor stated.
While acknowledging that public appointees have the right to offer public commentary, he advised that such remarks should be made with circumspection. "When it involves caution, issue it publicly and sparingly, if at all," he said.
