Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, has been declared a wanted man once again by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), after failing to appear for questioning on Monday, reigniting controversy over his role in several high-profile spending investigations.
The renewed warrant comes just four months after the OSP removed Ofori-Atta from its wanted list.
At the time, his legal team had assured authorities that he would return to the country and cooperate with investigators.
But after missing a scheduled interrogation this week, the OSP says it is treating him as a fugitive from justice.
“It is more than three hours past the scheduled time for Mr. Ofori-Atta’s appearance,” said Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng. “Consequently, the Office of the Special Prosecutor declares that Mr. Ofori-Atta is a wanted person and a fugitive from justice.”
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The OSP has also started the process to issue an Interpol red alert for his arrest and extradition to Ghana.
The investigations centre around allegations of financial mismanagement and irregular payments during Ofori-Atta’s time as finance minister.
These include spending related to the controversial National Cathedral project, the procurement of ambulance replacement parts, and other public expenditures that have been flagged for lack of transparency.
Ofori-Atta was removed from office in February 2024, after months of criticism from both the opposition and lawmakers within his own party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP). In October 2022, over 80 NPP ministers of parliament publicly demanded his resignation.
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