Ken Ofori-Atta
The family of former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has hit back at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for redeclaring him wanted and a fugitive of justice, as well as causing him to be placed on Interpol’s Red Notice.
The family, in a strong-worded statement, has made several allegations against the office, including abuse of administrative power, violation of human rights, and manipulation of judicial processes.
The family has also petitioned the National Central Bureau and the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files for deletion of the Red Notice issued against Mr. Ofori-Atta.
“The re-posting of the Wanted Poster was a premeditated theatrical stunt—a public lynching to portray a man, scheduled for cancer surgery, as a fugitive from justice,” the family indicated in the statement.
The family has also provided clarity that the former minister will return to Ghana after his June 13 surgery to face accountability, which is not evading.
The OSP, on June 2, 2025, 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.
The Office also triggered processes for the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice of the location and provisional arrest of Mr. Ofori-Atta in whichever jurisdiction.
This was after it turned down a request by lawyers for Mr. Ofori-Atta for a video recorded session instead of the in-person session requested by the OSP.
On June 5, 2025, Interpol placed Mr. Ofori-Atta on the Red Notice and said he is wanted on the charge of using public office for profit.
Abuse of Office
But the former minister’s family is accusing the OSP of sidestepping both legal and administrative processes and rather burnt on publicly humiliating Mr. Ofori-Atta while ignoring the health challenges he is facing.
The family has also accused the OSP of likely manipulating evidence to procure an arrest warrant dated February 11, 2025 before declaring Mr. Ofori-Atta wanted and a fugitive from Justice on February 12.
“The Arrest Warrant was procured under unusual circumstances. The court records are not clear as to how the OSP secured the Arrest Warrant without a filed affidavit, which is a matter pending in court for which the Interpol office at the Ghana Police Service had been served,” the family noted in the statement.
The family further indicated that following the unlawful declaration in February, the OSP was taken to the Human Rights Court for using a media briefing to declare Mr. Ofori-Atta wanted, a power not sanctioned by law.
The family is not happy that despite the pendency of the case which is scheduled for a ruling on June 18, the Special Prosecutor on June 2 “disregarded the ongoing proceedings” and “contemptuously” repeated the declaration of Mr. Ofori-Atta as a wanted person even though he was ready for a video recorded interview while attending to his health, to allow the OSP to elicit a cautioned statement until he is fit to return to Ghana.
The statement says the actions of cooperation and openness from Mr. Ofori-Atta do not reflect the conduct of a man running away from the law, but a person embracing it to assert his innocence.
It pointed out that Mr. Ofori-Atta since his appointment as Minister for Finance in 2017, has consistently demonstrated transparency and respect in response to all legal inquiries and state investigations, including Parliamentary Censure.
“His longstanding history of openness and cooperation underscores his commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity. Any claims suggesting that Mr. Ofori-Atta is fleeing justice are out of character, preposterous and simply not true,” the statement indicated.
It assured that once Mr. Ofori-Atta’s surgical procedure is over and the necessary treatment and recuperation has taken place, he will return to Ghana at the appropriate time and meet with the OSP in-person.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak