Members of the pressure group Arise Ghana intensified their campaign on Tuesday by picketing the US Embassy in Accra, urging authorities to extradite former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghana to face serious corruption allegations. Protesters, brandishing placards reading “Bring Ken Back” and “Ofori-Atta Must Face Justice,” accused the ex-minister of fleeing to the US to evade accountability, with spokesperson Bernard Monah claiming Ofori-Atta overstayed his visa after seeking permanent residency.
The demonstrations stem from 78 counts of corruption and related offences filed against Ofori-Atta and seven others by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, led by Kissi Agyebeng, in November 2025. Ofori-Atta personally faces 28 counts, including conspiracy, illegal procurement via single-sourcing without Public Procurement Authority or parliamentary approval, pretenses about Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML)’s capabilities, payments for unperformed services, and abuse of office. These stem from a “criminal enterprise” spanning 2017-2024, where officials allegedly colluded with SML—owned by co-accused Evans Adusei—to defraud the state of GH¢1.4 billion (about $128 million), plus a halted $2.8 billion upstream petroleum audit contract. Co-accused include ex-GRA Commissioners Emmanuel Kofi Nti and Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, and Ernest Darko Akore.
Ghana’s Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has formally requested the extradition of Ofori-Atta from the US, where he has been detained at Virginia’s Caroline Detention Facility since January 6, 2026, due to immigration issues. The US revoked his visa in 2025, and the Justice Department is reviewing his case under dual criminality rules.
Ofori-Atta must return for a fair trial to uphold justice, recover public funds, deter elite impunity, and restore trust in governance amid Ghana’s economic woes. Evading trial undermines anti-corruption efforts, signals weakness to investors, and denies Ghanaians closure on scandals like SML that fueled the debt crises. A transparent process ensures due process, potential asset forfeiture, and precedent for accountability—no one is above the law. Arise Ghana vows two-week protests, possibly escalating to sleep-ins.
Credit to Joy News
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