The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has said it slowed extradition process in the ongoing case involving former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta after new evidence was discovered during a search at Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
His comments follow recent reports suggesting that INTERPOL had withdrawn the Red Notice request submitted by the OSP regarding Mr. Ofori-Atta. The reports claimed the withdrawal was linked to questions surrounding the basis of the OSP’s request, given that no formal charges had yet been filed against the former minister.
However, Samuel Darko, Director of Strategy, Research and Communication at the OSP, told GTV on Saturday, November 22, 2025, that the findings were substantial enough to require a pause while investigators reviewed and verified the material. Some of the forensic tests, he noted, must be conducted abroad because the OSP’s own forensic laboratory is not yet fully operational.
Sammy Darko emphasised that the delay does not indicate a lack of preparedness by the OSP. The office had to notify the Attorney General to temporarily halt extradition efforts while the newly discovered information was analysed.
Regarding INTERPOL’s Red Notice for Mr. Ofori-Atta, he clarified that the notice remains active, although temporarily removed from public visibility due to the organisation’s internal review process following a challenge by the former minister. He assured that the Red Notice would still result in arrest if Mr. Ofori-Atta travelled to certain countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
The case, according to Darko, has always involved two phases: investigation and charging. With the charging phase now underway, the next legal step requires proper service of the summons directly to Mr. Ofori-Atta, as stipulated by Ghanaian law.
Meanwhile, Private legal practitioner and National Democratic Congress (NDC) communications team member, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, has advised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to maintain focus and avoid reacting to public pressure in the conduct of its investigations.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, November 22, 2025, Nii Kpakpo Samoa said that the confusion surrounding Ken Ofori-Atta’s INTERPOL Red Notice could have been avoided if the OSP had refrained from engaging the public before completing its investigative docket.
“If your investigations are not complete, they are not complete,” he said. “When you move before you are ready, you fuel unnecessary public discussions about motives. Nobody can push you to do something premature.”
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced that Ken Ofori-Atta and seven others will be arraigned on Monday, November 24, 2025.
The development follows the filing of 78 charges against Ofori-Atta and seven others over their alleged involvement in the controversial revenue assurance contracts between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
