Former Finance Minister wanted: Ex-NPA boss, 8 others under investigation - Special Prosecutor

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has declared former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta wanted.

Mr Ofori-Atta, who is currently outside the country, has been mentioned as a suspect in some corruption and corruption-related cases, including the National Cathedral, being investigated by the OSP.

The OSP has also commenced investigations against the former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and three others over the alleged embezzlement of GH¢1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the NPA.

The three others are the Coordinator of the UPPF, Jacob Amuah, and two employees of the NPA named Freda Tandoh and Wendy Ashong.

Again, the OSP is investigating alleged corruption at the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), with two former and two current officials of the fund being the subjects of the investigation.

“Fugitive of justice”

The Special Prosecutor (SP), Kissi Agyebeng, who announced these at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, described Mr Ofori-Atta as a “fugitive of justice” who had “no intention of willingly returning to the jurisdiction”.

The Special Prosecutor accused Mr Ofori-Atta of allegedly employing tactics in order not to avail himself of an invitation dated January 24, 2025.

He vowed that the OSP would do everything possible to bring the former minister to the country to assist in investigations.

“The OSP would take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP.

“Mr Ofori-Atta, you have two choices. You can either return to the jurisdiction voluntarily, or the OSP will enforce your return,” Mr Agyebeng stated.

Investigations

Mr Agyebeng said his outfit was currently investigating five cases of corruption and corruption-related offences in which the former minister was a suspect.

Those cases include the revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), the termination of the distribution loss contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC), and the National Cathedral project.

The others are the contract between the Ministry of Health and Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for purchases and after-sales service and maintenance of some ambulances and the utilisation of the Tax Refund Account of the GRA.

Invitation to Ofori-Atta

Narrating what necessitated declaring Mr Ofori-Atta wanted, Mr Agyebeng stated that on January 24 this year, the OSP, in a letter, directed the former Finance Minister to show up in person at its offices for an interview.

Prior to this invitation, the Special Prosecutor said, Mr Ofori-Atta had already travelled outside the country on or about January 2, 2025.

“By communication dated January 31, 2025, Mr Ofori-Atta instructed his lawyers to inform the OSP that he was out of the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds and that the firm would notify the OSP of his arrival in the country in aid of rescheduling his personal attendance at the OSP,” Mr Agyebeng said.

“Further, the firm offered its willingness to provide the OSP with any information the OSP may require to aid in the investigation until his arrival in the country,” he added.

Lawyer’s letter

A copy of the letter written by the lawyers of Mr Ofori-Atta to the OSP, as sighted by Graphic Online, indicated that the lawyers told the OSP that their client had already given an earlier notice of his trip outside the country for medical reasons to the former Chief of Staff and the current Chief of Staff at the presidency.

The SP said his office responded to the said letter on February 5, 2025, in which it insisted on Mr Ofori-Atta’s attendance in person at the OSP.

“Consequently, the OSP directed Mr Ofori-Atta to indicate by close of business on Monday, February 10, 2025, a reasonable date of his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP,” he said.

“The OSP warned Mr Ofori-Atta that if he failed so to do, the OSP would take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP at our own choosing,” he added.

Mr Agyebeng further explained that on February 10, 2025, lawyers for the former minister wrote again to the OSP about a medical report which said Mr Ofori-Atta had been “evaluated and that he was undergoing further testing and management and possible surgical intervention at an indicated future time”.

“On account of the purported letter, Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyers prayed that the attendance in person of Mr Ofori-Atta at the OSP should be fixed taking into account the medical report from his doctors,” he said.

Mr Agyebeng, however, stated that the medical report did not indicate that the former Finance Minister was “incapacitated” or too sick to honour the invitation of the OSP.

The OSP, he insisted, required the personal appearance of the former minister.

Purported raid

Last Tuesday, some men allegedly raided Mr Ofori-Atta’s residence in Accra.

Mr Agyebeng said on the same date, lawyers for the former minister, once again, wrote to the OSP enquiring whether the OSP was behind the said raid.

Responding to the said raid, the SP said his outfit had no role in it, neither was it aware of it.

“Mr Ofori-Atta, the OSP did not raid your house on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, or on any other day. The OSP did not cause any persons (however uniformed or bedecked) to raid your house on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, or any other day,” he said.

Mr Agyebeng claimed that intelligence by the OSP indicated that the raid was “staged”.

“Our intelligence points us to state that the purported raid on Mr Ofori-Atta’s residence was staged or, at best, an imposter action in an attempt to court dis-favour for the OSP and to derail the investigation,” he said.

The SP accused Mr Ofori-Atta of using the alleged raid and the “purported medical report” to avoid honouring the invitation of the OSP.

“No serious law enforcement agency would be convinced that the purported medical letter estops it from demanding the physical appearance of Mr Ofori-Atta before it in the described circumstances. And certainly not the OSP,” he said.

“We are of the firm conviction that it is only a ruse employed by Mr Ofori-Atta in aid of his intention to avoid his return to the jurisdiction and to personally answer questions in respect of the investigations,” he added.