Private legal practitioner Austin Brako-Powers has expressed doubt over the Attorney-General’s ability to successfully extradite former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghana, arguing that the process has been fatally weakened by public commentary from state prosecutors.
According to him, remarks made by the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, and the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, have politicised the matter and could negatively influence how United States authorities assess Ghana’s extradition request.
Speaking on TV3 on Friday, December 19, 2025, Brako-Powers stated emphatically that the extradition effort is unlikely to succeed.
“I am saying that the Attorney-General will not be successful in extraditing Ken Ofori-Atta to this country. Based on the public commentaries of the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor, they will not—mark it—be able to extradite Ken Ofori-Atta,” he said.
Brako-Powers argued that the Attorney-General should have restricted public communication strictly to the findings of investigations, rather than making what he described as hasty and prejudicial statements.
He warned that such comments risk undermining Ghana’s credibility as a requesting state and could be viewed by US authorities as evidence of political motivation.
The lawyer further explained that the case presents unique challenges because it involves a former finance minister and a central figure in the previous administration.
“This is a high-profile extradition case. It will naturally attract intense scrutiny, especially around motive, fairness, and political neutrality,” he noted.
He added that public statements suggesting certainty of conviction were particularly damaging, as they raise concerns about due process and the presumption of innocence.
“When you add these prejudicial public statements by the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor, it further weakens Ghana’s case,” Brako-Powers stressed.
His comments come after Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine confirmed that a formal extradition request had been submitted to US authorities for Ken Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Darko Akore, to return to Ghana to face trial on corruption-related charges.
Dr Ayine disclosed this while speaking at the government’s Accountability Series on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
According to the Attorney-General, the completed extradition request was transmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 10, 2025, for onward submission to the appropriate US authorities, specifically the Department of Justice.
Ken Ofori-Atta, together with seven others, is facing 78 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences. The other accused persons include Ernest Darko Akore, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah, Isaac Crenstil, Kwadwo Damoah, Evans Adusei, and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
