Political Analyst, Dr. Samuel Afriyie has said the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) erred in labeling former finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta as a fugitive.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s New Day, February 19, 2025, Dr. Afriyie noted that the OSP did not even consider exhausting all avenues available to bring Ofori-Atta for questioning, hence ought not to have described him as a fugitive.
Dr. Afriyie explained that at best, the OSP could have declared him wanted not a fugitive. For him, the OSP’s use of the word, ‘fugitive’ was not the best decision.
“Because he did not exhaust all the options. He could have even travel to wherever he is so can get whatever information he wants. So, if you have not exhausted all options why do you describe somebody as fugitive but if you say wanted, it could be justified because at the end of the day the side of the former minister was not giving an indication with the definite time he will be coming.
“Once they brought in this information, the medical report and all that, I think the wanted was far better than fugitive, it has a lot of implications and I think the OSP should be very careful,” he stated.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 said former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is no longer on its wanted list.
On 12 February 2025, the Special Prosecutor declared Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, a wanted person and a fugitive from justice on the grounds that he had failed to indicate a reasonable time of his return to the jurisdiction – although he had been informed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) that he was a suspect in various suspected corruption and corruption-related cases and he had been directed to physically attend the OSP in Accra on a specified date and at a specified time for interviewing.
On 18 February 2025, Mr. Ofori-Atta transmitted a communication through his lawyers to the OSP by which he stated a definite date of his voluntary return to the jurisdiction.
This marks a major shift from Mr. Ofori-Atta’s previous intention of remaining outside the jurisdiction indefinitely.
On 18 February 2025, the OSP acceded to Mr. Ofori-Atta’s request as it deemed his stated date of voluntary return to the jurisdiction reasonable in the circumstances.
“Consequently, Mr. Ofori-Atta has been removed from the OSP’s list of wanted persons and the OSP ceases to consider Mr. Ofori-Atta a fugitive from justice pending his voluntary return to the jurisdiction circa his stated date.
“If Mr. Ofori-Atta fails to voluntarily return to the jurisdiction circa his stated date, and if Mr. Ofori-Atta fails to attend the OSP on the rescheduled date, he shall be re-entered on the OSP’s list of wanted persons and the OSP shall then consider him a fugitive from justice, and the OSP shall take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP at our own choosing.
“The OSP is committed to its mandate of ensuring accountability guided by due process and fairness,” the OSP said on its X page on Tuesday, February 18.
