The High Court in Accra has granted bail to five of the accused persons standing trial with former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta over charges including influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage, causing financial loss to the state, and using public office for profit.
The beneficiaries of the bail ruling are the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th accused persons, namely Emmanuel Kofi Nti, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Isaac Crentsil, Evans Adusei, and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (through its directing mind).
The court admitted each of them to GH¢50 million bail with two sureties to be justified.
They are also required to deposit all passports and travel documents with the registry and report to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) once every week.
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, December 11, the Judge Justice Francis Aponga Achiponga emphasised that the purpose of bail is to secure the accused persons’ attendance for trial, noting that all five had demonstrated through their OSP bail terms that they were not flight risks.
However, due to the court closing late, the judge ordered that the bail terms would not take immediate effect.
Instead, the accused persons were allowed to go home and return on Monday, December 15, 2025, to execute the bail conditions. Until then, they will continue on the existing OSP bail terms.
The court further directed all affected accused persons to report to the OSP on Friday, December 12, at 11:00 a.m. to begin the processes leading to the fulfilment of the court’s bail requirements.
The accused persons are standing trial for their alleged roles in a scheme prosecutors say was designed to improperly secure procurement contracts for Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited, causing the state losses exceeding GHS 1.4 billion, with a further US$2.8 billion expected to be paid but for the intervention of petitioners and the OSP.
