The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has removed from its website a red notice alert it issued against former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
INTERPOL issued a red notice alert earlier this year at the request of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after he (Ofori-Atta) was declared a fugitive by the same OSP.
INTERPOL’s decision to remove the red notice alert followed investigations into the circumstances that led to the OSP’s request for it to be issued, when there was no charge against Ken Ofori-Atta.
Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers are on record as having complained to INTERPOL that the OSP dubiously submitted the Red Notice in breach of INTERPOL’s constitution and regulations.
INTERPOL, at the request of the OSP, placed Mr Ken Ofori-Atta on a red notice alert on its website on 5 June 2025. At the time, the OSP had not charged Mr Ofori-Atta for any offence.
OSP itself had indicated at various press conferences that the office required Mr Ofori-Atta to appear before it in person to assist with an ongoing investigation.
Once the OSP charges were announced yesterday, 18 November 2025, INTERPOL immediately removed the posting from its website because OSP by filing the charges, had confirmed the complaints from Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyers to INTERPOL.
For almost a year now, the OSP has been running a media campaign against Mr Ofori-Atta – declaring him a fugitive, holding repeated press conferences, and even pursuing a Red Notice from INTERPOL, all before bringing a single charge against him.
“We are pleased that, finally, the issues will move from the court of public opinion to an actual courtroom where evidence, not headlines, is king.
“As of today, the red notice against Mr. Ofori-Atta no longer appears on INTERPOL’s website. One would have expected the camera-hungry Special Prosecutor to have explained why it has happened by a press briefing but he has chosen silence,” a spokesperson for the Ofori-Atta family said.
“We will not speculate as to why, but we see this as a significant development that speaks to the adherence of international bodies to its constitution. We have always believed the OSP violated INTERPOL’s constitution and regulations and abused the INTERPOL notice system just as it did with the local Arrest Warrant,” the family spokesperson further stated.
A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.
The individuals are wanted by the requesting member country, or international tribunal. Member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.
The majority of Red Notices are restricted to law enforcement use only.
Extracts of Red Notices are published at the request of the member country concerned and where the public’s help may be needed to locate an individual or if the individual may pose a threat to public safety.
