Ken Ofori-Atta
Former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been placed on Interpol’s Red Notice List following a request by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which is investigating him for corruption and related offences.
The Interpol notice, which was issued on June 5, 2025, indicated that Mr. Ofori-Atta is wanted on the charge of using public office for profit.
A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.
The decision to place him on the Red Notice changes the dynamics of the OSP’s and Mr. Ofori-Atta’s approach to the investigations.
The OSP has insisted that the former minister must appear in person to face interrogation, while his lawyers maintain that he is unable to do so due to health reasons and suggested a video recorded interrogation.
Wanted
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, 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 corruption-related offences.
Speaking at press conference on June 2, Mr. 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.
The OSP also 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 principle upon which we proceed is that no person, regardless of title, regardless of status, regardless of medical condition is beyond the reach of enquiry by the OSP,” Mr. Agyebeng added.
The decision to re-enter Mr. Ofori-Atta’s name on the wanted list and declare him a fugitive is as a result of his failure to meet the June 2, 2025 deadline to return to Ghana and honour an invitation extended to him by the OSP, which is investigating him for corruption and corruption-related offences.
Ill Health
His legal team maintains that the OSP had been informed about the former minister’s health condition, but 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.”
Last week, 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 at a press conference last 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 and 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 disclosed.
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.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak