Dr. Justice Srem-Sai and Kissi Agyebeng
An unwanted feud seems to be brewing between the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), over investigations into former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is accused of corruption and related offences during the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
The Office of the Attorney General is rumoured to be frustrated by delays by the OSP to transmit the docket on Mr. Ofori-Atta to it, so as to carry out the extradition process initiated by the OSP.
Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, in an interview on GHOne TV, minced no words when he said his office has written several letters to the OSP demanding the docket, a request which has since not been met.
The OSP, in a sharp rebuttal in the aftermath of the interview, made its position clear on the matter, noting that it “does not sacrifice excellent and professional investigations on perceived frustration over a response.”
Ofori-Atta Wanted
On June 2, 2025, the OSP re-entered the name of Mr. Ofori-Atta on the list of wanted persons and declared him a fugitive from justice in relation to an ongoing investigation into corruption and related offences.
The OSP also triggered processes for the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice of the location and provisional of arrest of Mr. Ofori-Atta in whichever jurisdiction.
Clash
Since then, the public hasn’t heard anything about the matter again until the Deputy Attorney General’s comments on GHOne TV that the OSP is yet to supply a docket on the investigations despite several requests.
According to him, only the Attorney General’s Department has the legal authority to initiate the extradition of Mr. Ofori-Atta, but the Office cannot carry out the action without a docket from the OSP.
“The Interpol alert is not an extradition procedure,” Dr. Srem-Sai pointed out. “We are the only authority that can make an extradition request, but we need a docket from the OSP to be able to make that request. Without the docket, you cannot go to the American authorities and say this is the person we want.”
In spite of this, he noted that “We’ve made several requests to the OSP, written letters, written demands, asking that now that you’ve announced to the world that you are ready to have this person extradited… we still do not have the docket from the OSP.”
The Deputy Attorney General stressed the importance of the docket, nothing that the extradition request must be accompanied by evidence of an ongoing investigation, just like the United States does before persons are extradited from Ghana.
“When they ask for people to be extradited, they bring the full docket as if they are going to court. We must do the same,” Dr. Srem-Sai added.
OSP Fires Back
But the OSP, in a strong-worded press statement, indicated that it had informed the Attorney General that the Office was in the process of boarding-up the various dockets on the subject, but its work had been extended by a search and seizure of documents and computer servers carried out by it and National Security at two offices of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) on June 10, 2025.
It said the OSP is not frustrating and will not frustrate its own extradition request, noting that “there is absolutely no reason for the Attorney General’s Department to feel frustrated, if that is the case, in respect of a matter it is not involved in substantively, in respect of the investigation and prosecution of suspected persons – since OSP investigations and prosecutions are independent of any other authority.”
It further indicated that upon the communication to the Attorney General that the investigation had been extended since June 10, 2025, owing to the haul of more evidence at SML, “reasonable patience is required for the detailed examination and analysis of the newly discovered evidence.”
The statement, however, suggests that the OSP is not at loggerheads or in dispute with the Attorney General’s Department, emphasising that “the OSP is confident that that should be the position of the Attorney General’s Department.”
It further pointed out that the two offices are distinct by design but remain complementary arms of justice under Ghana’s constitutional architecture. “Differences in function do not imply conflict; they ensure accountability through procedural checks and balances.”
It said that the OSP will continue to cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s Department to ensure that the matter proceeds lawfully and efficiently, adding “the investigations remain very active, the extradition processes are underway.”
BY Gibril Abdul Razak