OSP Ready to Re-declare Ofori Atta Wanted if He Defies Meeting Agreement
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) says it is prepared to declare former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta a wanted person and a fugitive of justice if he fails to honour his meeting with the Office.
This follows a legal suit by the Ofori Atta challenging its authority to declare him wanted last month.
In a statement on March 17, the Office acknowledged the lawsuit, noting that it would not hesitate to declare the former government official a wanted person for the second time after delisting his name on the back of his request.
Ofori Atta is thus expected to show up on June 2, 2025.
“If Mr. Ofori-Atta fails to attend the OSP on the scheduled date, he shall be re-entered on the OSP’s list of wanted persons and the OSP shall consider him a fugitive from justice; whereupon the OSP will cause the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice in his regard and also cause the initiation of extradition proceedings in any jurisdiction in which he may be found.”
The office further assured of its commitment to enforcing the law and ensuring that Mr. Ofori-Atta answers for his role as the prime suspect in five ongoing corruption and corruption-related investigations.
Suit
Ofori Atta on March 13, 2025, filed at the Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra arguing that the action by the office breached his right to personal liberty under Article 14 and right to free movement under Article 21 of the 1992 Constitution as well as Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR).
He is, therefore, seeking among other things a court declaration that the OSP has no legal authority to use media briefings to declare a person wanted or a fugitive from justice; the continued publication of his name and image as a wanted person is unlawful; and any violation of his human rights by the OSP constitutes a breach of Ghana’s international treaty obligations.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
