Ghanaian fugitives wanted back home can be extradited from the United States, but the process is unlikely to be quick, according to the US government.

Speaking at a media roundtable with visiting Deputy Assistant Secretary for West Africa, William B Stevens, the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Accra, Rolf Olson, explained that the US operates under well-defined procedures and protocols.

These would be triggered whenever Ghana formally seeks the extradition of a person wanted by its law enforcement agencies.

His comments follow questions about why the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has not been able to secure the extradition of former Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta, who has been on its wanted list since early 2025.

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During Ofori-Atta’s trial in absentia on December 11, 2025, the OSP disclosed that several accused persons, including the former minister, are outside the country citing health reasons.

The OSP said it has used the available legal channels, including summons and collaboration with international law-enforcement bodies, to compel their appearance.

Meanwhile, public pressure has intensified. As of December 8, 2025, more than 3,100 people had signed a petition addressed to the US Embassy, calling for Ofori-Atta’s extradition.

The petition, initiated on December 2, 2025, by US-based Ghanaian professor Stephen Kweku Asare, urges American authorities to assist Ghana by confirming Ofori-Atta’s location, supporting cooperation between both governments, and expediting any official request.

Commenting on whether the US is prepared to cooperate, Olson said the American side has a “very well-established” process for evaluating extradition requests, a process that is “generally not very quick.”

He added that once a request is received, it must go through the necessary legal channels, noting that US judges ultimately decide whether to approve or deny extradition.

“But the door is always open to requests there is no individuals case that can be prejudged because US judges make the decision so they have the ability to approve or disapprove a request,” he said.

He emphasised that the US remains open to any request and cannot prejudge any specific case.

So far in 2025, US law enforcement has extradited nine Ghanaians, mostly in connection with romance-scam operations, a growing transnational crime across West Africa.

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