The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has clarified that former Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta remains the subject of criminal proceedings in Ghana and is wanted under a valid arrest warrant issued by the High Court in Accra. The OSP said a transcript of proceedings from a United States immigration court, circulated by some media organisations, had been misinterpreted to suggest that Mr Ofori-Atta had not been credibly charged or linked to any wrongdoing in Ghana.
In a public notice, the OSP rejected that interpretation, explaining that it was not a party to Mr Ofori-Atta’s immigration proceedings in the United States. It said its involvement was limited to extradition proceedings being pursued through Ghana’s Attorney-General as the country’s central authority, adding that the extradition documents were not before the US immigration court and that the court had no jurisdiction to determine the credibility of the criminal charges pending against the former minister. “The credibility or otherwise of the criminal charges against Mr Ofori-Atta is a matter for determination by the courts in Ghana,” the OSP stated.
The OSP explained that three separate legal proceedings were underway involving Mr Ofori-Atta, namely immigration proceedings in the United States, extradition proceedings to determine whether he should be returned to Ghana, and the criminal case before the High Court in Accra involving corruption and corruption-related offences. It reiterated that Mr Ofori-Atta remained an accused person before the High Court, was the subject of a valid arrest warrant, and remained a fugitive from justice in Ghana. The OSP added that the criminal proceedings would continue in accordance with the law and the directives of the High Court, whether or not Mr Ofori-Atta was physically present in the country.
