Prosecutors have declared Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, a fugitive due to his suspected involvement in various corruption cases while in government.
Ofori-Atta had fled Ghana to avoid inquiry, and Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyabeng stated all necessary actions will be taken to bring him back.
Ofori-Atta has been accused of creating financial losses for the state, including the disputed national cathedral, which remains a hole in the ground despite allegedly spending $58 million (£46.6 million) of government funds.
Ofori-Atta has not addressed the charges. 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, did not show up for an interview with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) despite being notified he was suspected.
According to Agyabeng, Ofori-Atta departed Ghana in early January with no intention of “willingly” returning. As a result, the OSP declared him a “wanted person.”
“He is a fugitive from justice,” the special prosecutor explained.
Ofori-Atta served as finance minister from January 2017 until February 2024, while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in power.
It lost the December elections to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
After being inaugurated in January, President John Mahama formed an investigating commission known as Operation Recover All Loot.
The committee has received over 200 complaints of corruption, totaling more than $20 billion in recoverable funds.
Mahama has asked the attorney general and minister of justice to conduct investigations into the claims, declaring that Ghana will no longer be a refuge for corruption.
Some Ghanaians, however, have criticized him for dropping cases against his former allies who were on trial.
