The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has defended the decision to re-declare former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as a wanted man, insisting that no one is above the law.
At a press briefing on Monday, June 2, the Special Prosecutor pushed back against criticisms surrounding the move, stating that there is “nothing special” about declaring Mr Ofori-Atta wanted.
“Is this the first time someone in this country has been declared wanted? All the persons previously declared wanted before him, were they not human?” Mr Agyebeng quizzed.
“There’s nothing secretive about it. It is just a simple legal process.”
Making reference to former President John Mahama’s own encounter with the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Mr Agyebeng pointed out that even a sitting or former head of state is not exempt from investigation.
“We investigated a former president, have you forgotten? On August 8, 2024, I came right into this room and told Ghanaians our findings and conclusions. A former president. He was served with the same process. He showed up, much less a former Finance Minister.”
He stressed that the OSP is driven by principles, not personalities.
“The OSP stands for this: we do not regard persons, we do not regard titles, we do not regard your status in life. Everyone is the same to us. No one is beyond our purview. Everyone is fair game if we think you are our suspect in a criminal enquiry.”
The Special Prosecutor rejected the notion that suspects can dictate the terms of an investigation:
“A suspect in a criminal matter does not choose how the investigative authority should go about investigating, when he wants to appear, or in what way he wants to appear. We do not take caution statements online from foreign jurisdictions.”
The OSP has once again declared Mr Ofori-Atta a wanted person, effective today, June 2, 2025.
This decisive action follows his failure to appear in person at the OSP’s headquarters by the stipulated deadline, violating an earlier agreement that saw his temporary removal from the wanted list.
The OSP had initially declared Mr Ofori-Atta a “fugitive from justice” in February 2025, citing his repeated non-compliance with summons for questioning regarding multiple corruption allegations.
These probes include his involvement in contracts with Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) for revenue assurance, issues surrounding the National Cathedral project, and other financial dealings during his tenure as Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024.
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