Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni says the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has never issued a stop-list request to prevent former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta or Ernest Darko Akore, both accused in the SML scandal, from leaving or re-entering the country.
In a detailed clarification, he said critics who claim the OSP allowed the two to exit Ghana before being declared wanted are misinformed.
Azure explained that information sourced from the Ghana Immigration Service, National Security, the National Intelligence Bureau and the OSP itself confirms that no stop-list request was filed in the previous administration, and none has been filed under the current administration.
According to him, security agencies rely on official stop-list notices before preventing a person of interest from travelling, adding that such notices are enforceable across airports, land borders and seaports.
“This means Ken Ofori-Atta and Ernest Akore will not be stopped should they be seen entering or leaving Ghana,” he noted.
Azure indicated that the OSP attributes its earlier inaction to distrust of state institutions during the Akufo-Addo administration, while its current approach relies on airline manifests, an explanation that security officials challenge, arguing that manifest delays could allow suspects to slip in undetected.
He added that Ghana Immigration officials have been instructed not to stop travellers unless a formal stop-list order exists, due to legal liabilities.
As a result, he said Akore, who is less recognisable, could move through entry points without being flagged.
