The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has reiterated that it remains guided solely by law and evidence and is committed to due process and the fair, lawful and impartial prosecution of corruption and corruption-related offences.
These comments follow the deletion of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, from INERPOL Red Notice.
The announcement was made in a public notice dated February 13, 2026, by the Counsel for Mr. Ofori-Atta, Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo Esq, that the CCF, during its 135th session held on February 4, 2026, concluded that the Red Notice issued against Mr. Ofori-Atta “appears of a predominantly political character” and was therefore non-compliant with INTERPOL’s regulations. The commission ordered that the notice be deleted permanently from INTERPOL’s files.
Responding to this, the OSP in a press release dated February 13, 2026, confirmed it had received the decision of the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) concerning the Red Notice issued at Ghana’s request for former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to the statement, the Commission directed the deletion of the Red Notice under INTERPOL’s rules on political neutrality and notice processing. The decision cited contextual factors at the time of issuance, including what it described as “polarised political statements” from members of current and former administrations regarding the conduct of the investigation.
The Commission also referenced public controversy surrounding the prosecutorial and extradition processes, including public acknowledgement by senior officials at the Ministry of Justice that extradition could not be pursued at the time because the case was at an early procedural stage.
The CCF further observed that subsequent developments rendered the Red Notice unnecessary, noting that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s location was known, cooperation with United States authorities was ongoing, and extradition processes had already been initiated following his arrest in the United States on January 6, 2026.
The OSP disclosed that a summons issued by the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has been transmitted for service in the United States, requiring Mr. Ofori-Atta to appear and answer multiple criminal charges. It added that efforts to secure his appearance are continuing through established legal and diplomatic channels.
Background
Mr. Ofori-Atta, who served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 until early 2024 under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had reportedly been the subject of investigations linked to his time in office. The circumstances surrounding the issuance of the Red Notice were tied to requests made through Ghana’s National Central Bureau to INTERPOL.
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, on June 2, 2025, officially triggered a process for the issuance of an INTERPOL red notice, potentially subjecting former Ken Ofori-Atta to international arrest and extradition.
The move, announced at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, June 2, came after Mr Ofori-Atta failed to honour multiple invitations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for questioning in relation to ongoing corruption investigations.
The deletion of the Red Notice means that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s details will no longer appear in INTERPOL’s database, and member countries will not act on the withdrawn alert.
