[ad_1]
Enayat Qasimi, lead counsel for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, has accused Ghana’s investigative authorities of politicising the high-profile GRA–SML case, insisting that his client is not evading justice even as the government moves to extradite him from the United States.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, the legal practitioner said the Office of the Special Prosecutor was fully aware that Mr Ofori-Atta was abroad for medical treatment, arguing that the decision to issue an international Red Notice was therefore unjustified. He maintained that the former finance minister has remained willing to submit himself to Ghana’s legal process.
Ghana has asked the US to extradite the former finance minister over corruption charges. Earlier this year Ken Ofori-Atta was declared a fugitive and Interpol issued a red notice, alerting law enforcement agencies to locate and detain him.
He has denied any wrongdoing. pic.twitter.com/aH8uG25NAc
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) December 24, 2025
“He is fully committed to complying with the laws of Ghana, and he is fully committed to answering for anything that he did when he was the finance minister. There is absolutely no question about that,” Qasimi said.
Mr Ofori-Atta is facing 78 counts of corruption alongside seven others over the Strategic Mobilisation Limited revenue assurance contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority. The charges include alleged breaches of Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and Section 92(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).
According to Qasimi, the core issue goes beyond the charges and centres on whether his client’s constitutional rights are being respected. “The question is, is he being given the rights that he’s guaranteed under Ghanaian law? He is not, and he has never been,” he said.
He further claimed that the Special Prosecutor had full knowledge of Mr Ofori-Atta’s whereabouts and health status at the time the Red Notice was triggered. “Mr Ofori-Atta was receiving treatment. He was in the US, and they knew all along. There was no purpose for issuing the Red Notice, but they went ahead and issued it,” he added.
The comments come amid firm steps by the government to secure the former finance minister’s return to Ghana. On December 18, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced that his office had formally submitted an extradition request to the United States for Mr Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Akore.
Dr Ayine later disclosed that Mr Ofori-Atta had hired some of the most experienced lawyers in the United States to challenge the extradition, signalling what he described as a potentially long legal battle.
“I just got to know yesterday that he has hired some of the top lawyers in the United States of America, very experienced lawyers, to defend him,” the Attorney General said during the Government Accountability Series.
While expressing confidence in Ghana’s case, Dr Ayine acknowledged that the US legal system allows for multiple layers of appeal that could delay proceedings.
“I’m not afraid at all,” he said. “But it means that there’s going to be a fight in the federal courts in the US. If the district court says no, he will go to the circuit court. If the circuit court says no, he’s entitled to go to the US Supreme Court to fight his case.”
Despite the legal hurdles, the Attorney General said the government remained resolute in its efforts. “On behalf of the government of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, we have taken the requisite steps to bring him to Ghana to face trial,” he stated.
He also appealed directly to the former finance minister to return voluntarily, assuring him of fairness. “If I were him, this is his home. He should just join the next flight and come here. Under my watch, he will not be treated unfairly. He will go through due process and be prosecuted just like any other person,” Dr Ayine said.
[ad_2]