Private legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu, has said the Special Prosecutor, William Kissi Agyebeng, cannot be blamed for putting former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, back on the OSP’s wanted list.
Kpebu believes Ofori-Atta’s lawyers failed to adequately justify a time extension for their meeting with the OSP, when their client’s health condition worsened.
According to Kpebu, the lawyers should have been fully prepared and submitted the necessary documentation to support their claims about Ofori-Atta’s health status.
Speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Monday, June 2, 2025, Kpebu explained that the OSP’s complaint about the late arrival of the letter informing them of Ofori-Atta’s illness demonstrated the legal team’s inadequate preparation in securing a time extension for their client.
“It shows that they don’t appear prepared, they don’t appear to have done the necessary kind of preparation that is required to get an extension from Mr. Kissi Agyebeng.”
The lawyer defended the OSP’s decision, stating that Kissi Agyebeng cannot be blamed for declaring Ofori-Atta wanted again.
“So, naturally, you can’t blame Mr. Kissi Agyebeng for putting Ofori-Atta back on the wanted list and now taking steps to extradite him and get him on the INTERPOL Red Alert,” 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.
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