The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has disclosed that his office was powerless to prevent former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta from leaving Ghana earlier this year, despite ongoing investigations into the controversial Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) contracts.
Speaking in an interview on The KSM Show, Mr. Agyebeng revealed that Mr. Ofori-Atta departed the country between January 1 and 3, 2025 just days before the change in administration, and long before the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had any operational control over security institutions, such as the Ghana Immigration Service.
“The main perpetrator had no intention of returning to the country. He left between January 1 and 3, before the 7th. We didn’t control the airports and we had no cooperation from the other security agencies,” Mr. Agyebeng stated.
According to the Special Prosecutor, the OSP at the time faced “a policy of blocking” from key security agencies, including the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), the National Signals Bureau and the Ghana Immigration Service.
“It was as if the security setup was stacked up against the OSP, so we would not be able to perform our job,” he lamented.
Mr. Kissi Agyebeng said that when he raised concerns about this lack of cooperation, his office received little support.
“We were powerless. We saw him leave but couldn’t stop him, because no one at the airport would even respond to us. You call immigration, no one would bother to answer. You write to them, no one would respond,” he revealed.
He added that circumstances have since improved, with the OSP now able to rely on key security institutions for collaboration.
“Now, we can rely on the Ghana Immigration Service and the National Security setup to block someone. But at the time, it was impossible,” he noted.
Touching on Mr. Ofori-Atta’s current whereabouts, the Special Prosecutor confirmed that the former Minister is believed to be residing in the United States.
However, he emphasised that the process of bringing him back to Ghana is legally complex and time-consuming.
“We believe he is in the United States and know the area where he lives. But we can’t just go there and bring him back. Extradition is a tedious process.
“Even if the U.S. central authority agrees, the President of the United States can intervene and stop it,” he explained.
Mr. Kissi Agyebeng said the OSP is working closely with the Attorney General’s Office on the matter, stressing that both institutions must act in unity to protect the Republic.
“We always work together with our Attorney General, and in turn, he should hold our hand. We are working for one Republic, one Ghana,” he said.
Background
The Office of the Special Prosecutor recently released its investigative findings into the multi-million cedi contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
The OSP concluded that the series of contracts signed between 2018 and 2021 were “needless, unlawful and of no benefit to the Republic,” describing them as reckless abuses of public funds.
The report accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of being the “chief promoter and patron” of SML and said his actions unlawfully forced the company into Ghana’s revenue assurance system despite its lack of capacity.
Between 2018 and 2024, SML reportedly received over GH¢1.43 billion from the state despite performing little or no tangible work.
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