Ken Ofori-Attah
A medical excuse letter has popped in the midst of uncertainties concerning the medical condition of former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and when he would return to Ghana.
Th Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Monday, June 2, 2025, declared Mr. Ofori-Atta wanted and a fugitive from justice for failing to meet its deadline to report in person in connection with corruption and corruption-related investigations.
While his legal team maintain that the OSP had been informed about the former minister’s health condition, the OSP insists that till date, the former minister has failed to provide any medical report which suggests that “he is a travel risk and unable to return to the jurisdiction by reason of his medical condition.”
But a medical report from Mayo Clinic, one of the top-ranked hospitals in the United States, making rounds on various social media platforms, clearly indicate that Mr. Ofori-Atta has been diagnosed with cancer, as revealed by the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng at a press conference on Monday.
The letter points out that Mr. Ofori-Atta underwent an MR-guided Biopsy and has been diagnosed with cancer.
It continued that a surgical intervention has been deemed necessary after the testing, MRI and Biopsy procedures in March 2025, as indicated in a previous letter written in February this year.
“This surgical procedure has been scheduled for June 13, with Dr. Paras Shah of the Department of Urology. It is hoped that a closer date may open up,” the letter indicated.
The letter further pointed out that following the procedure, Mr. Ofori-Atta will require a recovery period before he is able to travel to Ghana.
OSP Not Aware
Meanwhile, the OSP, in a statement, has indicated that the said letter circulating on social media has not been submitted to the office either by Mr. Ofori-Atta or his lawyers.
“The only correspondence received from his legal representatives is a letter notifying the OSP of a change in his medical condition and on their say so,” the OSP said in a statement.
Wanted
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has re-entered the name of former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta on the list of wanted persons and declared him a fugitive from justice in relation to an ongoing investigation into corruption and corruption-related offences.
Speaking at press conference on Monday, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, indicated that the OSP has also triggered processes for the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice of the location and provisional arrest of Mr. Ofori-Atta in whichever jurisdiction.
Again, the OSP has dispatched a request for extradition processes to be instituted for the provisional apprehension of Mr. Ofori-Atta in any jurisdiction he may be located or found, and his extradition to Ghana.
The Special Prosecutor further indicated that his office will initiate criminal proceedings against Mr. Ofori-Atta whether in absentia or otherwise.
The investigations are in connection with payments relating to the National Cathedral, contractual arrangements between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Beijing Technology (BXC) contract, purchases and after sales service and maintenance of 307 Mercedes Benz sprinter ambulances for the National Ambulance Service contract, as well as payments out of and utilisatiion of the tax refund account of GRA.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak