Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Ghanaian lawyer and activist
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.
He further warned appointees against making direct contact with law enforcement agencies during ongoing probes, especially when they have no official connection to the matters under investigation.
“If you are not SML’s legal advisor, do not call the agency or its head. Even as a private citizen, you must offer information only to clarify, not to obstruct. Your reputation is at stake. Guard it carefully,” he warned.
Barker-Vormawor also questioned the urgency of the information Prof. Gyampo allegedly sought to relay to the OSP, stating that the public deserves to know what warranted such action during the execution of a lawful search warrant.
“As of this morning, we are still none the wiser as to what information was so urgent that the OSP needed to hear it in the middle of executing a lawful search warrant. Whatever information Ransford has that would prevent financial loss, I believe we all need to hear it so we can fairly judge his motivations,” he indicated.
He admitted that the OSP’s statement following the incident may have appeared “a little salacious,” but insisted that the situation could have been completely avoided.
“Public office is a slippery slope, and one must tread with caution,” he concluded.
MRA/MA
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