Ofori-Atta Disappears From OSP’S Radar …‘Small Boy’ Agyebeng Declares Him Wanted

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has declared former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, a fugitive from justice. The decision follows his failure to respond to an invitation extended to him on Monday, February 10, 2025.

Addressing journalists in Accra on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, indicated that a few minutes prior to the press conference, “I signed a directive declaring a high-profile person a fugitive from justice.

“The fugitive’s name is Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta. Mr. Ofori-Atta, you have two choices. You can either return to the jurisdiction voluntarily or the OSP will enforce your return.”

The SP, Kissi Agyebeng, listed five corruption and corruption-related cases the OSP is probing, for which the former finance minister is a suspect.

Though lawyers of Mr. Ofori-Atta had written to the OSP indicating that he was receiving medical attention in the US, the “purported” medical letter did not demonstrate that he was not able to travel.

The CASES

According to the SP, Ken Ofori-Atta “is wanted by the OSP to answer charges” in respect of several cases, including the famous Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) deal, the One Constituency One Ambulance initiative and the National Cathedral saga.

Specifically, he mentioned the contractual arrangements between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority for the stated objective of the enhancement of revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector, upstream petroleum production and minerals and metals resources value chain.

He also mentioned the “termination of a Distribution, Loss Reduction and Associated Network Improvement Project contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC).”

Also, the “procurement of contractors and materials and activities and payments in respect of the National Cathedral project.”

Again, the OSP is probing the activities and payments in respect of a contract awarded by the Ministry of Health (initially commenced by the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives) to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for purchases and after-sales service, and maintenance of 307 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 305 CDI ambulances for the National Ambulance Service.

The OSP is also looking for Ken Ofori-Atta because he is a suspect in the payments and utilisation of the Tax Refund Account of the Ghana Revenue Authority.

Kissi Agyebeng did not tell the journalists what roles Ken Ofori-Atta played in the cases being investigated, except saying that when the need arises, he would carry the media along.

Answering a question on the timing of the declaration, which has come after a change of government, Kissi Agyebeng debunked any assertion that Ken Ofori-Atta was being chased because his party had lost power.

He stated emphatically that even if the OSP had reached the point of inviting him while in office, it would have done so.

CHRONOLOGY

The OSP said it was informed that Ken Ofori-Atta was not in Ghana when it communicated to him that the OSP considered him a suspect in respect of the above cases.

Though he was scheduled to attend in person at the OSP last Monday, the SP said yesterday that by a communication dated January 31, 2025 – Mr. Ofori-Atta instructed his lawyers to inform his office that he was out of the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds.

The SP further stated that the firm offered its willingness to provide the OSP with any information it might require to aid in the investigation, until his arrival in the country.

Insisting that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s personal attendance at the OSP was required, Mr Adjebeng said it declined his request to be “away from the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds on his say-so.”

Mr. Agyebeng said the OSP was not convinced by the proof of medical status it received from the lawyers.

He said the lawyers transmitted to the OSP “a generic letter procured by Mr. Ofori-Atta purporting to be from a doctor in a foreign jurisdiction,” stating that Mr. Ofori-Atta had been seen and evaluated and that he was undergoing further testing and management and possible surgical intervention at an indicated future time.

RAID

Meanwhile, the OSP has also categorically denied media reports linking it to the raid that occurred in Mr. Ofori-Atta’s home on Tuesday morning.

Mr. Agyebeng informed the public that intelligence gathered by his OSP pointed “us to state that the purported raid on Mr. Ofori-Atta’s residence was staged or, at best, an imposter-action in an attempt to court disfavour for the OSP and to derail the investigation.” He educated the public that the OSP would not disguise itself to enter into premises for search.

“We have our unique methods of conducting searches and we have uniquely designed insignia of identifying ourselves and not just by a statement by a person that ‘We are from the OSP’,” he said while displaying the insignia to the journalists present.

Meanwhile, the OSP said it is investigating other persons for corruption and corruption-related offences. These include an alleged embezzlement of GHC1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA); the payroll system’s alleged illegality in Tamale; the Minerals Income Investment Fund, Agyapa Royalties Limited, Small Scale Mining Incubation Programme (SSMIP), Quarry Value Addition Programme (QVAP), Asante Gold Corporation and ElectroChem Ghana Limited.

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