Martin Luther Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has blamed the lawyers of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, for their client being declared wanted again by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Kpebu asserts Ofori-Atta’s counsel failed to provide necessary evidence to substantiate their claims that their client was unwell.
According to him, the OSP had expressed frustration over the lack of adequate proof, with Kpebu insisting Ofori-Atta’s legal team could have done better in that regard.
Speaking on Ghana Tonight with Alfred Ocansey on TV3 Monday, June 2, 2025, Mr. Kpebu noted that a full dossier is what could have prevented the OSP’s decision.
“It is inevitable because Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers didn’t put up a good showing in terms of marshaling the kind of evidence that is needed to persuade the OSP to grant them an extension.
“The OSP complained that what they sent is next to nothing in terms of the evidence that is needed to persuade OSP for an extension of time. So one would have thought that knowing that the stakes are very high, Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers should have come with a full dossier,” he stated.
This follows a redeclaration of Mr. Ofori-Atta a wanted person by the OSP, after failing to appear in person before the Office as directed.
William Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, in a stern notice issued on Monday, June 2, 2025, disclosed that he could not tolerate the repeated delays and noncompliance with the ongoing criminal proceedings against the former Minister of Finance.
According to the OSP, if it had any option of taking his statement virtually or in his absence, he would have done that long ago.
Kissi Agyebeng noted that a criminal suspect cannot dictate to investigative agencies , how he wants investigations about him to be conducted.
“This office has always requested his attendance, and we have indicated clearly to him that we are unwilling to waive it. If we were amenable to taking any statement from Ken Ofori-Atta in absentia, we would have done so in February, and not waited till June 2, 2025.
“We want him here physically, and we insist on it. A suspect in a criminal investigation does not pick and choose how the investigative body conducts its investigations and the methods suitable to him and his convenience. We will not countenance this conduct, not in this case,” he stated.
The development stems from Ofori-Atta’s reported request of a virtual session with the OSP, citing medical reasons for his inability to appear in person as agreed earlier.
His legal team had early on submitted documentation to the OSP and the Human Rights Court, explaining that he was undergoing treatment abroad and unable to travel.
However, the OSP maintains Ofori-Atta must appear in person to respond to ongoing investigations related to alleged financial misconduct, including money laundering and causing financial loss to the state.
The declaration reinstates Ofori-Atta on the list of wanted persons and opens the door for further international enforcement actions, including a possible INTERPOL Red Notice.
Full text: Address by Special Prosecutor on Ken Ofori-Atta’s case, others
