President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to voluntarily return to Ghana as the government pursues legal processes to secure his extradition.
Speaking during the Reset Tour and Citizens’ Engagement in the Volta Region on Friday, July 17, President Mahama referenced comments Mr Ofori-Atta made while serving as Finance Minister, in which he likened himself to a father who could not abandon his children.
Recalling those remarks, President Mahama urged the former minister to demonstrate the same sense of responsibility by returning to Ghana to address the issues surrounding him.
“You held the most sensitive position as finance minister and at the point when your own members of parliament, 80 of them signed an application that the president should remove you, you said something historic, you said you are like the father of children and that you can’t run away and leave your children,” President Mahama said.
Turning directly to Mr Ofori-Atta, he added: “So if we Ghanaians are your children, we are calling you, we are begging you, father come back, your children are calling you to come back.”
The President questioned why anyone who believed they had acted lawfully would choose to remain outside the country instead of returning to cooperate with legal authorities.
“If you are a man of principle and you believe you have done nothing wrong, I don’t see why you should flee your own country,” he stated.
President Mahama, however, stressed that the government’s efforts to secure Mr Ofori-Atta’s return must follow due legal process and respect his rights.
He explained that extradition is governed by international legal procedures, requiring a formal request to the country where the individual is residing and a determination by a court in that jurisdiction.
“Extradition or return of fugitives from justice, it’s a legal process and so you need to respect the rights of the person at the same time,” he said.
According to the President, the Attorney General’s Department has already initiated the necessary legal steps, including filing an application and submitting additional documents requested by the relevant authorities.
“The Attorney General’s Department has done its best, it filed the application, there are some additional documents that were asked for that it is filing and eventually it will all go before an American judge to make a decision,” he said.
Mr Ofori-Atta, who served as Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024, is currently outside Ghana. Authorities have commenced legal proceedings to secure his return through the extradition process to answer matters under investigation.
