OSP Declares Kenneth Ofori- Atta Fugitive
Media Briefing Update of Cases:
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the media.
A few minutes ago, I signed a directive declaring a high-profile person a fugitive from justice.
This person is wanted by the OSP to answer charges in respect of several cases including the following:
i. contractual arrangements between Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority for the stated objective of the enhancement of revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector, upstream petroleum production, and minerals and metals resources value chain;
ii. termination of a Distribution, Loss Reduction and Associated Network Improvement Project contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC);
iii. procurement of contractors and materials; and activities and payments in respect of the
National Cathedral project; and
iv. activities and payments in respect of a contract awarded by the Ministry of Health (initially commenced by the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives) to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for purchases and after-sales service and maintenance of 307 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 305 CDI ambulances for the National Ambulance Service; and
v. payments out of and utilization of the Tax Refund Account of Ghana Revenue Authority.
The fugitive’s name is Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta.
Mr. Ofori-Atta is 66 years old. He was the Minister of Finance of the Republic between 2017 and 2024.
Mr. Ofori-Atta left the jurisdiction on or around 2 January 2025.
On 24 January 2025, the OSP communicated to Mr. Ofori-Atta that the OSP considered him a suspect in respect of four of the cases described above.
Mr. Ofori-Atta was directed to attend, in person, the OSP on Monday 10 February 2025 at 10:00 GMT for interviewing.
By communication dated 31 January 2025, Mr. Ofori-Atta instructed his lawyers to inform the OSP that he was out of the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds and that the firm would notify the OSP of his arrival in the country in aid of rescheduling his personal attendance at the OSP.
Further, the firm offered its willingness to provide the OSP with any information the OSP may require to aid in the investigation until his arrival in the country.
On 5 February 2025, the OSP responded to Mr. Ofori-Atta that the OSP did not need or require notification from his lawyers of his arrival in the jurisdiction.
The OSP acknowledged Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers’ gracious offer to provide the OSP with information in aid of the investigation.
However, the OSP insisted that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s personal attendance at the OSP was required.
The OSP declined Mr. Ofori-Atta’s request to be away from the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds on his say-so.
Consequently, the OSP directed Mr. Ofori-Atta to indicate by close of business on Monday 10 February 2025, a reasonable date of his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP.
The OSP warned Mr. Ofori-Atta that if he failed so to do, the OSP would take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP at our own choosing.
Subsequently, by communication dated 10 February 2025, Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers transmitted to the OSP a generic letter procured by Mr. Ofori-Atta purporting to be from a doctor in a foreign jurisdiction stating that Mr. OforiAtta had been seen and evaluated and that he was undergoing further testing and management and possible surgical intervention at an indicated future time. And further that his medical condition necessitates that he will stay and follow-up on his appointments.
On account of the purported letter, Mr. OforiAtta’s lawyers prayed that the attendance in person of Mr. Ofori-Atta at the OSP should be fixed taking into account the medical report from his doctors.
At 4:16 pm the next day, Tuesday 11 February 2025, the OSP received another letter from Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers. This time, it was an inquiry.
Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers stated that they were informed by the household of Mr. Ofori-Atta that in the morning of Tuesday 11 February 2025, twelve men comprising one police officer, four military men and seven other men in plain clothing visited Mr. Ofori-Atta’s house. And that by threat of force they were able to enter Mr. Ofori-Atta’s house, and they undertook an exercise purporting to be a search of every room, office, gym and other spaces in the house.
Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers then inquired if the OSP could confirm that the actions of the twelve men were at the instance of the OSP so as to enable them to decide if a complaint to the police would be unnecessary.
Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyers prayed for a prompt response from the OSP to prevent imposteraction.
We have chosen the course of answering Mr. Ofori-Atta’s inquiry publicly at this briefing, considering the circumstances surrounding the purported raid at Mr. Ofori-Atta’s house; media reportage of the purported raid; and in light of the reckoning that some media houses have stated emphatically that the OSP was behind the purported raid; and in light of the reckoning that the purported raid is being made to appear as if it was some untoward action by the OSP stemming from some contrived vendetta against Mr. Ofori-Atta.
So here we go:
Mr. Ofori-Atta, the OSP did not raid your house on Tuesday 11 February 2025 or on any other day.
The OSP did not cause any persons (however uniformed or bedecked) to raid your house on Tuesday 11 February 2025 or on any other day.
That could not have been the OSP and that is not our style. If the OSP enters your premises, you will not be in doubt as to whether it was the OSP, and your lawyers would not have cause to do an inquiry.
We have our unique methods of conducting searches and we have uniquely designed insignia of identifying ourselves and not just by a statement by a person that “We are from the OSP”.
Our intelligence points us to state that the purported raid on Mr. Ofori-Atta’s residence was staged or at best an imposter-action in an attempt to court disfavour for the OSP and to derail the investigation.
The OSP is not deterred by such occurrences and the investigations would continue as by law prescribed.
These occurrences, and the OSP’s intelligence, which would not be revealed at this time for fear of compromising the investigation, are very instructive as not to put premium on Mr. OforiAtta’s alleged imminent peril should he travel back to the jurisdiction.
In any case, the purported medical letter neither stated nor demonstrated so.
The OSP is unconvinced that the purported medical letter transmitted by Mr. Ofori-Atta through his lawyers to the OSP represents a medical report to the effect that Mr. Ofori-Atta is incapacitated or is so sickly an invalid to the extent that he is physically unable to return to the jurisdiction without imperilling his life.
No serious law enforcement agency would be convinced that the purported medical letter estops it from demanding the physical appearance of Mr. Ofori-Atta before it in the described circumstances. And certainly not the OSP.
We are of the firm conviction that it is only a ruse employed by Mr. Ofori-Atta in aid of his intention to avoid his return to the jurisdiction and to personally answer questions in respect of the investigations.
We are convinced that the real intention of Mr. Ofori-Atta is what was communicated to the OSP in the first letter transmitted by his lawyers on 31 January 2025 – that is, he has left the jurisdiction indefinitely.
Mr. Ofori-Atta has no intention of willingly returning to the jurisdiction. That much is clear.
Consequently, the OSP declares Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta a wanted person, being a fugitive from justice.
The OSP would take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP.
Mr. Ofori-Atta, you have two choices. You can either return to the jurisdiction voluntarily or the OSP will enforce your return.
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The OSP has also commenced investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the operations of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) – especially regarding payments made in respect of Agyapa Royalties Limited; Small Scale Mining Incubation Programme (SSMIP); Quarry Value Addition Programme (QVAP); Asante Gold Corporation; ElectroChem Ghana Limited; Lithium Asset (projected lithium-focused exploration and development corporation); Gold Asset 2 (Enchi gold project); all other investments by MIIF; funds expended on the Chairman of the Board of Directors; the operational funds of MIIF; purchase of parcel of land for intended office building; contracts and agreements entered into by MIIF; and publications by MIIF.
The investigation targets two former officials and two serving officials of the Fund.
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The OSP has also commenced investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of an alleged embezzlement of GHC1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
The investigation primarily targets the Coordinator of the UPPF, Jacob Amuah; NPA staff, Freda Tandoh, Wendy Ashong Newman, and a former Chief Executive of NPA, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid.
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It will be recalled that in the last quarter of 2023, the OSP and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department jointly commenced corruption risk assessment and investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of Government Payroll Administration.
It is also recalled that the assessment and investigation are especially aimed at isolating and removing the names of non-existent, ineligible, and undeserving persons from government payroll, recovering wrongful payments and unearned salaries, prosecuting persons suspected to be culpable for any offences, and the institution and implementation of internal controls in respect of payroll processing and payment of salaries.
We further recall that to facilitate the roll-out of the investigation and assessment throughout the country, a pilot exercise was carried out in the Northern Region (covering educational institutions under Ghana Education Service and the Tamale Teaching Hospital) by a joint team, comprising investigators, tracers, and assessors from the OSP and selected staff of the Payroll Processing Directorate of CAGD between December 2023 and April 2024.
After thorough investigation, the OSP is now ready to commence the prosecution of persons suspected to have engaged in such conduct.
Earlier today, I directed the Director of Prosecutions at the OSP to file criminal charges at the High Court, Tamale against six persons –
• Yakubu Tahidu – a former teacher Balogu M/A Junior High School, Yendi, Northern Region
• Abdulai Abubakari Sadic – Integrated Personnel Payroll Database Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service, Yendi, Northern Region
• Sammy Suuk – Schools Improvement Support Officer for Yendi North Circuit, Northern Region
• Mohammed Yusif Jay – headmaster of Balogu M/A Junior High School, Yendi, Northern Region
• Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres – Assistant Chief Accounts Technician at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, Accra, Greater Accra Region
• Osman Issahaku – headmaster of Balogu M/A Junior High School, Yendi, Northern Region
The main charges are corruption of a public officer and corruption by a public officer involving the manipulation and siphoning of funds designed as fictitious salaries from Government Payroll.
The identified persons would soon be arraigned before the High Court, Tamale.
Thank you for coming.
Kissi Agyebeng
The Special Prosecutor
12 February 2025