Sammy Darko is Director of Strategy, Research, and Communication at the OSP
The Director of Strategy, Research, and Communication at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Sammy Darko, has denied reports suggesting friction between the OSP and the Attorney General’s (AG) Office regarding the extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
In a Facebook post on Monday, October 20, 2025, Darko clarified that there is no disagreement between the two institutions.
He noted that the OSP is finalising its investigations before submitting the relevant case materials to Attorney General Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
“There is no bad blood between the OSP and the AG, nor is there any contention over the case docket. The issue at hand is primarily one of timing. The OSP is nearing completion of its work on several cases involving Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta and will, in due course, submit the necessary information required to complete the extradition process to the AG,” he wrote.
Darko emphasised that investigations and prosecutions require time to ensure accuracy and fairness.
“The OSP has been focused on finalising these investigations, as it also intends to file charges in several related cases involving Mr. Ofori-Atta and other individuals. It is understandable that the AG may be under public pressure regarding progress on the matter, and that there is widespread interest in seeing Mr. Ofori-Atta brought to trial.
“However, just as the AG has often reminded the public, especially supporters of the NDC, that investigations and prosecutions take time, the same understanding should be extended to the OSP. The OSP operates as an independent prosecutorial body with investigative powers and a specific, limited jurisdiction over certain corruption and corruption-related offences, which Mr. Ofori-Atta is alleged to have committed,” he added.
Darko also condemned the recent leak of official correspondence related to the extradition case.
“Certainly, the leak could not have originated from the OSP. The Office would never compromise the safety of its officers or jeopardise a case it has pursued diligently since February, despite criticism from those who thought it was being unreasonable or inconsiderate when it stated that Mr. Ofori-Atta was unwilling to return, and despite being ridiculed for saying it could not place him on an Interpol Red Notice. For the record, one crucial document was not part of the leak,” he said.
He disclosed that the OSP wrote to the government on June 2, 2025, seeking its position on the extradition. The following day, the Chief of Staff directed the Attorney General to cooperate with the OSP’s request.
“On June 3, the Chief of Staff wrote to the AG, directing cooperation with the OSP’s request to initiate the extradition of Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta. On June 13, the AG wrote to the OSP requesting the names of OSP officers who would handle the extradition process, as well as a case docket. On June 20, the OSP responded with the names of its designated officers and explained that it was in the process of finalising the cases. The Office noted that it had conducted searches and seized servers, computers, and documents from Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), which were being analysed for evidential value and would be incorporated into an investigative report for submission to the AG to aid in completing the extradition documentation,” he explained.
Darko added that in September 2025, the AG again requested an update and inquired whether a preliminary report could be provided. He noted that this correspondence, unlike earlier letters, was not part of the leaked documents.
“This particular correspondence was never leaked. As previously stated, the OSP is finalising the investigative report and will soon transmit it to the AG. Therefore, between September and October, there has been a brief gap—one the OSP is currently working to fill by completing and transmitting the final investigative report to the Attorney General. That is not a delay or unwillingness; it is finishing the work,” he added.
In January 2025, the OSP identified the former minister as a suspect in several corruption-related cases, including alleged irregularities in contracts with SML, expenditures linked to the National Cathedral project, and issues in health and tax refund operations.
He was first declared a fugitive from justice in February 2025 after failing to honour repeated summonses by the OSP.
Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers later requested that his name be removed from the wanted list, promising he would return.
In June 2025, after he again failed to appear before the OSP on the agreed date, his fugitive status was reinstated, with the OSP indicating it would pursue extradition steps and maintain the Interpol Red Notice.
Ten months after being first declared a fugitive, Ken Ofori-Atta has neither been arrested in the US nor voluntarily returned to Ghana.
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