The Criminal Division of the High Court has dismissed an application filed by former Minister of Finance, Kenneth Ofori-Atta.

The application sought to strike out a warrant issued for his arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, citing a violation of his human rights.

Ofori-Atta also questioned the legality of the OSP’s acquisition of the warrant, thereby requesting the court to set aside the proceedings and the Interpol Red Notice.

However, in an update shared by the OSP on Thursday, July 31, 2025, it was stated that the court, in its verdict, found Ofori-Atta’s application had no merit, leading to the dismissal of the entire suit.

“The High Court (Criminal Division) has dismissed an application by former Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori-Atta seeking to strike out a warrant issued for his arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

“Mr Ofori-Atta had argued that the OSP unlawfully obtained the warrant and asked the court to set aside all related proceedings, including an Interpol Red Notice alert. However, the court this morning ruled that the application lacked merit and dismissed it in its entirety,” the OSP’s update read.

Background

At a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng stated that all indications suggested Ofori-Atta had absconded from Ghana to evade investigations into alleged corruption.

He subsequently declared Ken Ofori-Atta a fugitive, wanted for corruption and related offences.

However, six days later, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) removed the former finance minister from its list of wanted persons following communication from his legal team confirming his voluntary return to Ghana.

On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers informed the OSP of a definite date for his return to the country.

In response, the OSP deemed the stated return date reasonable and rescheduled his attendance accordingly.

As a result, Ken Ofori-Atta was removed from the OSP’s wanted list and is no longer considered a fugitive, pending his return on the agreed date.

The former finance minister is under investigation regarding contractual arrangements between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for revenue assurance in the petroleum and minerals sectors.

Another investigation concerns the termination of a contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Beijing Technology Limited for distribution loss reduction and network improvement.

Additionally, he is being investigated over procurement, payments, and activities related to the controversial National Cathedral project.

Furthermore, he has been linked to contracts awarded by the Ministry of Health, initially through the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives, to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for the purchase and maintenance of 307 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 305 CDI ambulances for the National Ambulance Service.

The OSP is also examining payments made from and the utilization of the Ghana Revenue Authority’s tax refund account.



MAG/VPO

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