Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has expressed strong doubt that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta will voluntarily return to Ghana to answer corruption-related charges, arguing that the former minister deliberately left the country due to systemic institutional failures.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News on Thursday, December 18, Mr Kpebu described the government’s extradition process as highly complex and unlikely to yield results, insisting that Ofori-Atta has no intention of submitting himself to Ghana’s justice system.
“This is not simply a matter of trust. The reality is that extradition is complicated, and Ofori-Atta clearly does not intend to return. If he did, matters would not have reached this stage,” he stated.
Mr Kpebu’s comments followed an announcement by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice that Ghana has formally submitted an extradition request to United States authorities seeking the return of Ken Ofori-Atta and Ernest Darko Akore to face charges brought by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
According to the lawyer, the situation was aggravated by what he described as delays and inaction on the part of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyabeng, when an initial petition was filed against the former finance minister.
Citing an investigative report by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, Mr Kpebu noted that although a petition was submitted to the OSP in December 2023, formal investigations reportedly did not commence until January 2025—a period during which Ofori-Atta had already left Ghana.
“This is an own goal by the Special Prosecutor. The petition was submitted in December 2023, yet nothing was done until Ofori-Atta had exited the country. Even when the opportunity arose, he was not arrested,” Mr Kpebu alleged.
He further accused the Special Prosecutor of enabling Ofori-Atta’s escape from accountability, warning that such conduct has seriously weakened Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.
Mr Kpebu called for criminal investigations into the conduct of the Special Prosecutor, arguing that it was unacceptable for an individual facing multiple corruption-related cases to leave the country without restriction.
“You cannot have someone with five cases hanging over his head and then claim powerlessness. That is injustice. Ghana cannot tolerate this for even one more day,” he said.
