The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has dismissed claims that it is obstructing efforts by the Attorney General’s Department to extradite former Finance Minister, Kenneth Ofori-Atta, who is facing corruption-related investigations.
In a detailed statement issued on October 20, 2025, the OSP said it had initiated investigations into corruption and corruption-related offenses involving Mr. Ofori-Atta and had since secured a judicial warrant of arrest, declared him a fugitive, and placed him on INTERPOL’s Red Notice after he left Ghana in January 2025 and refused to return for questioning.
The OSP explained that it formally triggered the extradition process through the Chief of Staff on June 2, 2025, and that the request was transmitted to the Attorney General on June 3, 2025, in line with Ghana’s mutual legal assistance framework.
It added that it had already nominated two of its officers to join the prosecution team and had communicated the progress of its investigations to the Attorney General.
His comment follows remark by the Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem Sai, who said the OSP had failed to release the case docket to facilitate extradition despite multiple request.
However, the OSP clarified that the docket compilation was ongoing following new evidence obtained during a June 10 search and seizure operation at the offices of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
“The OSP is not frustrating and will not frustrate its own extradition request. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for the Attorney General’s Department to feel frustrated, if that is the case, in respect of a matter it is not involved in substantively in respect of the investigation and prosecution of suspected persons since OSP investigations and prosecutions are independent of any other authority,” the statement read.
The OSP also expressed concern about a leak of confidential communications between its office, the Chief of Staff, and the Attorney General, warning that such incidents pose serious security risks and could jeopardize ongoing investigations.
Clarifying further, the OSP noted that extradition is a multi-agency process involving several statutory steps, from investigation and evidence compilation to diplomatic transmission through the Attorney General, and insisted that all these processes are “ongoing effectively.”
It emphasized that there was no institutional conflict with the Attorney General’s Department, describing their relationship as “complementary arms of justice” designed to ensure accountability and procedural checks.
The statement assured the public that investigations into Mr. Ofori-Atta’s conduct as Finance Minister remain active and that a full briefing on concluded investigations will be provided before the end of October 2025.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
