Ken Ofori-Atta, is a former Minister of Finance
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) will by the end of November 2025 file charges against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and five others over their roles in the controversial revenue assurance contracts between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
Those expected to face prosecution include former Commissioner-Generals of the Ghana Revenue Authority, (GRA) Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti, as well as GRA officials, Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoa, Ernest Akore, former Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, October 30, 2024, the Special Prosecutor Agyebeng said, “The outcome of the investigation is that the OSP will charge the following persons with various corruption and corruption-related offences before the end of November 2025.”
He noted that months of investigations revealed acts of corruption, abuse of office and serious breaches of procurement laws in the awarding and execution of the contracts.
“There was no genuine need for contracting SML for the work it purported to perform,” Kissi Agyebeng said.
‘There was no genuine need for contracting SML’ – Kissi Agyebeng
He further revealed that the GRA failed to submit the full agreements between SML and its third-party collaborators, a lapse he said undermined transparency and accountability in the entire process.
“The investigations revealed glaring statutory breaches, conflicts of interest and unjustified payments tied to the SML agreements,” the Special Prosecutor noted.
He disclosed that the OSP will recover GH¢125 million from Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
“The OSP will recover a total amount of GH₵125 from SML by way of disgorgement of unjust enrichment of overpayment by the return of the benefit this amount obtained unfairly at the expense of the Republic,” he added.
Ken Ofori-Atta was first identified by the OSP in January 2025 as a suspect in several corruption-related cases, including alleged irregularities in contracts with Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), expenditures linked to the National Cathedral project, and issues in health and tax refund operations.
He was declared a fugitive in February 2025 after failing to honour multiple OSP summonses.
His lawyers later requested that his name be removed from the wanted list, promising he would return. However, after he again failed to appear before the OSP in June 2025, his fugitive status was reinstated, and the OSP indicated it would pursue extradition while maintaining the Interpol Red Notice.
Ten months after being first declared a fugitive, Ofori-Atta has neither been arrested in the United States nor voluntarily returned to Ghana.
JKB/AM
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