Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been redeclared a wanted fugitive on Monday after he failed to meet a final deadline of 2 June to appear before prosecutors investigating multiple corruption allegations.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng announced that his office’s patience had been exhausted following what he described as repeated delays and non-compliance by the 66-year-old former minister.
Mr. Ofori-Atta, who served under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government, was first declared wanted in February over his alleged role in several controversial contracts between 2017 and 2024, including the PDS electricity company deal, the national cathedral project, procurement of 307 Mercedes-Benz ambulances, and a Ghana Revenue Authority contract with SML for transaction audits.
The former minister’s lawyers had initially claimed he was abroad “indefinitely on medical grounds” and unable to travel. However, after proper correspondence regarding medical clearance, the special prosecutor temporarily removed Mr. Ofori-Atta from the wanted list, giving him until 2 June to appear in person.
“This office has always requested his attendance, and we have indicated clearly to him that we are unwilling to waive it,” Mr. Agyebeng said in a press conference on Monday.
“If we were amenable to taking any statement from Ken Ofori-Atta in absentia, we would have done so in February and not waited till June 2, 2025.”
The prosecutor was uncompromising in his stance, declaring, “We want him here physically, and we insist on it. A suspect in a criminal investigation does not pick and choose how the investigative body conducts its investigations and the methods suitable to him and his convenience. We will not countenance this conduct, not in this case.”
Mr. Agyebeng had previously warned, “Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta must appear in person before the Office of the Prosecutor on 2 June. If he fails to appear, we will consider him a fugitive from justice. The OSP will place him on an Interpol red notice alert, and we will take steps to extradite him from wherever he may be.”
One of Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyers, Frank Davies, expressed surprise at public scepticism regarding his client’s illness, telling local network Joy FM, “If I told you I would come to see you tomorrow, but I had suffered an accident the night before, would you still expect to see me? Why is it difficult for people to understand that the person involved in this matter is ill?”
Mr. Davies added, “His health issues were known even before they began preparing charges against him. Who in this country doesn’t know that Ken Ofori-Atta has been unwell?”
However, the special prosecutor dismissed this proposal as “dodgy and intended to avoid in-person appearance”, insisting on physical attendance for questioning about the corruption and abuse of office allegations, which Mr. Ofori-Atta denies.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has now initiated extradition processes and warned it will place the former minister on an Interpol red notice if he continues to evade questioning.
Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers have challenged the wanted declaration in Ghana’s Human Rights Court, alleging violations of their client’s rights and seeking to restrain the prosecutor’s office from treating him as a fugitive. The court is expected to deliver its ruling on 18 June.
The OSP said the office will proffer criminal charges on Ofori-Atta whether in absentia or in person, signalling their determination to pursue the corruption case regardless of his physical presence in the country.
