Prosecution without conviction? A systematic literature review of institutional drivers of economic crime case outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose: This study examines the persistent gap between prosecutions and convictions in economic crime cases across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), focusing on the institutional drivers shaping conviction outcomes, particularly in corruption and related offences. Design/methodology/approach: Using a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review, the study screened 226 peer-reviewed articles and retained 58 published between 2014 and 2025. Although framed within SSA, the evidence is drawn mainly from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, and Ghana, which are the most represented jurisdictions in the literature. Guided by institutional, principal - agent, and regulatory enforcement theories, the study combines thematic synthesis with a descriptive comparative analysis of reported prosecution and conviction related indicators. Findings: The findings show that prosecutorial discretion, elite protection, weak judicial independence, and regulatory enforcement fragility are the main institutional drivers of low conviction outcomes. The literature focuses largely on corruption, bribery, procurement related offences, embezzlement, and money laundering. While these mechanisms vary across jurisdictions, they converge in producing symbolic or weakly completed prosecutions where legal visibility exceeds legal finality. Research limitations/implications: The study relies on English language sources and inconsistent reporting of prosecution and conviction data, limiting cross-study comparison. Future research should adopt standardized measures, use comparative and longitudinal designs, and examine offence specific patterns. Practical implications: The findings underscore the need for prosecutorial independence, stronger inter-agency coordination, and context specific accountability reforms. Originality/value: This study provides a comparative synthesis of prosecution-to-conviction outcomes in selected SSA jurisdictions.