The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has defended his office against criticism over the delay in extraditing former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, citing poor cooperation from state security institutions during the period of Ofori-Atta’s departure from Ghana.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has been under public scrutiny for not stopping the former minister from travelling to the United States while investigations into his conduct at the Finance Ministry were ongoing.
In an interview on the KSM Show, Mr. Agyebeng clarified that his office had no operational control over Ghana’s exit points, including the Kotoka International Airport, and therefore could not physically prevent Ofori-Atta from leaving the country.
“He left between December 1 and 7. Who was in charge at that time? We don’t control the airports. Yet people blame us for allowing him to leave. His cousin was President Nana Akufo-Addo — let’s be honest about the situation,” he said.
The Special Prosecutor added that his office’s appeals for collaboration from security agencies were largely ignored, creating what he described as an institutional blockade.
“We weren’t getting the needed cooperation. We asked for assistance, and nothing came. It was as though there was a deliberate policy to isolate the OSP. The entire security setup was positioned against us,” he explained.
Mr. Agyebeng stressed that the OSP did not “watch him leave” but was powerless to intervene without security backing.
He, however, noted that the situation has significantly improved, with stronger inter-agency coordination now in place. “Today, we can rely on the Ghana Immigration Service and National Security to restrict travel when necessary. But back then, calls and letters to Immigration were ignored,” he added.
His comments come as the OSP prepares to file charges against several individuals connected to the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML)–Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) revenue assurance contracts.
Those expected to be prosecuted include Ken Ofori-Atta, former GRA Commissioners-General Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti, as well as GRA officials Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoa, and Ernest Akore, a former Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance.
The upcoming prosecutions follow months of investigations that uncovered alleged corruption, abuse of office, and procurement breaches in the awarding and implementation of the SML-GRA contracts, which reportedly caused financial losses to the state.
