Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, was declared wanted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, at a press briefing in Accra, disclosed that the former finance minister, who served for over seven years under the government of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is a suspect in several investigations related to corruption and corruption-related offences.
He stated that all attempts to get Ofori-Atta, who is currently outside Ghana, to appear before investigators have proven futile, hence the decision to declare him wanted.
The OSP’s investigations have implicated the former minister in corruption and corruption-related offences linked to the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana, the revenue assurance deal between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), and the cancellation of a contract with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Several international media outlets, including the British state broadcaster, BBC, Bloomberg and others have reported on the OSP’s declaration of Ofori-Atta as a fugitive.
Here are some of the reports:
BBC:
Ghana’s ex-finance minister declared a fugitive
Ghana’s former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been declared a fugitive by prosecutors over his alleged involvement in multiple corruption cases when he was in government.
Ofori-Atta had left Ghana to evade investigations, and all necessary steps would be taken to bring him back, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyabeng said.
Ofori-Atta has been accused of causing financial losses to the state, including over a controversial national cathedral, which remains a hole in the ground despite the alleged spending of $58m (£46.6m) of government money.
Ofori-Atta has not commented on the allegations. According to Agyabeng, the ex-minister’s lawyers said he was out of the country for medical reasons.
Agyabeng told a press conference that Ofori-Atta, 66, failed to attend an interview with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), despite being told he was a suspect.
Ofori-Atta left Ghana in early January, and had no intention of “willingly” returning, Agyabeng said.
The OSP was, therefore, declaring him a “wanted person”.
“He is a fugitive from justice,” the special prosecutor added.
Ofori-Atta was finance minister from January 2017 to February 2024, when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in power.
It lost elections in December to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
President John Mahama, who was inaugurated in January, went on to establish an investigative committee known as Operation Recover All Loot.
The committee has received over 200 complaints of corruption, amounting to more than $20bn in recoverable funds.
Mahama has directed the attorney general and minister of justice to launch investigations into these allegations, stating that Ghana will no longer be a safe haven for corruption.
However, some Ghanaians have criticised him for discontinuing cases against his former allies on trial.
Bloomberg:
Ghana Former Finance Minister Declared a Fugitive by Prosecutor
Ghana’s special prosecutor has declared former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, a wanted person after he failed to meet with authorities to answer questions over alleged wrongdoing.
Ofori-Atta, who held the position for seven years from 2017, was replaced as minister last February by former President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng declared Ofori-Atta wanted Wednesday after he failed to confirm an appointment date with the prosecutor’s office “to answer to charges relating to” payments made for a controversial national cathedral project, and other issues for which few details were provided.
Lawyers for Ofori-Atta, 66, told the prosecutor’s office he was unable to honor the request to meet because he is outside the country “indefinitely” for medical attention, Agyebeng said. Agyebeng then said his office is “unconvinced” that Ofori-Atta is unable to return to Ghana.
“Consequently, the Office of the Special Prosecutor declares Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta a wanted person,” he said. “He is a fugitive from justice.”
Ofori-Atta did not respond to calls and messages sent to his mobile phone.
Widely considered one of the most influential people in the Akufo-Addo administration, the former minister faced criticism as it became clear that the country, once seen as a regional investor darling, couldn’t keep up with debt payments, which were consuming more than half of government revenue.
In December 2022, Ofori-Atta narrowly survived a parliamentary motion to have him removed. And for more than a year, Akufo-Addo fended off critics, saying Ofori-Atta should be allowed to complete negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to secure a $3 billion bailout, which he did, and to reach an agreement with creditors to restructure much of Ghana’s 575.5 billion cedis ($37 billion) of debt at the time.
BAI/MA