By Francis Kobena Tandoh
INTERPOL has deleted the red notice alert placed on Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
According to the OSP, the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) says the notice violated its rules and has ordered it permanently removed.
“The Commission directed the deletion notice under INTERPOL’s rules on political neutrality and notice processing, citing contextual factors at the time of issuance, including “polarized political statements from members of current and former administrations about the conduct of the investigation,” as well as public controversy surrounding prosecutorial and extradition processes, including public acknowledgement by senior officials at the ministry of justice of an inability, at the time, to pursue extradition due to early procedural stage of the case,” read the statement.
According to the OSP, the Commission further observed that subsequent developments made the notice unnecessary as the location of the former Ghanaian minister is known, as cooperation with the American authorities on his extradition processes had already been initiated following his arrest last month in the United States.
The OSP stated that a summons issued by a high court in Accra has been transmitted for service in the United States, requiring the appearance of Ofori-Atta to answer multiple criminal charges, and that efforts to secure his appearance continue through established legal and diplomatic channels.
Ghanaian authorities, led by the OSP, are pursuing the former finance minister during the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration over alleged involvement in high-profile corruption, financial misconduct, and abuse of office, leading him to be declared a wanted person.
Ofori-Atta left Ghana in January last year to seek medical care in the United States, and attempts by the new administration for him to return to respond to matters have proved futile, prompting the OSP to get INTERPOL to issue the red notice alert on the country’s former finance minister. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Find the statement from the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) below;
