Adoa News Adoa News
Related Articles
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has defended his office against public criticism over the delay in the extradition of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, attributing the situation to a lack of cooperation from state security agencies at the time of the former minister’s departure from Ghana.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has come under scrutiny for failing to prevent Mr. Ofori-Atta from travelling to the United States despite ongoing investigations into his tenure.
Speaking on the KSM Show, Mr. Agyebeng explained that the OSP was handicapped because it lacked control over the country’s exit points, including Kotoka International Airport.
“He left between December 1 and 7. Who was in power at that time? And we don’t control the airports and exit gates. But we’re taking flak why allow him to leave? His cousin was President, Nana Akufo-Addo. Let’s face facts,” he stated.
The Special Prosecutor suggested that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s family ties to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo influenced the lack of institutional support, alleging that the security setup at the time worked against his office.
“We were not getting the cooperation of the other security agencies at the time he left for the States. We asked for all that; we didn’t get it. It was as if there was a policy of blocking the OSP out,” he said.
Mr. Agyebeng noted that despite repeated requests for assistance, the OSP’s efforts were ignored, leaving the office powerless to prevent the former minister’s departure.
“We didn’t watch him leave. But we couldn’t prevent him from leaving the airport. We were powerless,” he added.
However, the Special Prosecutor disclosed that collaboration between the OSP and other security agencies has since improved, allowing for better coordination on travel restrictions and enforcement actions.
“Now we can rely on the Ghana Immigration Service and National Security to block someone from travelling. Then, when you called or wrote to Immigration, no one would respond. That was the situation,” Mr. Agyebeng explained.
His comments come after the OSP announced plans to press charges by the end of November 2025 against several individuals implicated in the controversial revenue assurance contracts between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
Those expected to face prosecution include former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, former GRA Commissioner-Generals Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti, as well as GRA officials Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoa. Ernest Akore, former Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance, will also face charges.
The decision follows months of investigations by the OSP, which uncovered alleged acts of corruption, abuse of office, and procurement breaches in the award and execution of the SML-GRA contracts.
