The revelation by the Attorney-General that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has hired top lawyers in the United States to fight his extradition presents the Attorney-General with one of the most difficult cases, a private legal practitioner, Justice Abdulai, has said.
Justice Abdulai says one of the big defenses Mr Ofori-Atta will raise in the US court is political persecution, and when that happens, Ghana’s Attorney-General will have a tough time getting Mr Ofori-Atta back to Ghana.
“One of the arguments Ofori-atta can make in the US court is political persecution if he is extradited. It is a big argument he can raise …because we have turned crime into politics, this will be a defence in the US court…We have presented the Attorney-General with one of the biggest cases,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, December 20.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, had revealed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has engaged top legal practitioners in the United States to contest his extradition to Ghana.
Dr Ayine made the disclosure during the government’s Accountability Series on Thursday, December 18, 2025, following the submission of a formal extradition request to US authorities.
“The person who is the subject of an extradition will fight it in court. I have been informed that Mr Ofori-Atta has hired some of the top lawyers in the US with extensive experience to defend him,” Dr Ayine said, noting that the development does not intimidate Ghanaian authorities.
He explained that US extradition proceedings are conducted through the federal court system and involve multiple layers of judicial review.
“He has the right to challenge any decision through the federal district court, the circuit court and, ultimately, the US Supreme Court if he is dissatisfied,” Dr Ayine added.
While acknowledging that the legal battle could be lengthy, the Attorney General expressed confidence in the Ghanaian authorities’ extradition request, emphasizing that the final decision now rests with the US judicial system.
