Ken Ofori-Atta declared wanted.

Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been listed as a fugitive by the Office of the Special Prosecutor. “The fugitive’s name is Kenneth Ofori-Atta,” Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng stated during a press conference on Wednesday, February 12.

On the grounds that he had caused financial loss to the state in a number of transactions, including the building of the renowned National Cathedral and the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), he declared him a fugitive.

The former minister is wanted for his role in building the National Cathedral, which was promised by former President Akufo-Addo. State finances for the project were given by Mr. Ofori Atta.

In 2020, Ken Ofori-Atta approved the release of an enormous ¢142.7 million for the national cathedral project at the request of President Akufo-Addo’s chief of staff.

Even if these monies have been released, the construction is still on hold since the people in control are accused of mismanaging the money.

MyIt has also come to light that the majority of the monies were mismanaged by the project’s board of trustees, which was headed by Rev. Kusi Boateng. Mr. Ofori-Atta has come under fire for disbursing the sums without taking accountability or the worth of the money into account. In the case of the GRA and SML, the finance minister is again accused by the public of getting into a transaction that has caused financial loss to the state. Under the direction of Mr. Ken Ofori Atta, GRA paid SML more than ₵1 billion in 2019 without the Public Procurement Authority’s consent, as required under the constitution.
This sum was paid to SML for the following services: Measurement Audit of Downstream Petroleum Products, Consolidation Services Agreement (Transaction Audit and External Verification Services), External Price Verification Services, Addendum to Measurement Audit for Downstream Petroleum Products Agreement, Consolidation of the first consolidation contract and downstream petroleum audit contract, Contract Extension, and Extension of the Scope of SML’s Services. Prosecution of Mr. Ofori Atta for causing financial loss to the state has been demanded by anti-corruption organisations and individuals over the years.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and a few others were prominent among them; they had sued the former minister, GRA, and SML for corruption and sought a reimbursement of the funds.

Since then, the case and other significant corruption-related matters in the nation have been taken over by the OPS. As a result, the OSP has proclaimed former Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta sought and a ransomware suspect. The OSP claims that Ken Ofori Atta has no plans to willingly return to the jurisdiction.

The OSP has threatened to take all required legal action to guarantee his participation and secure his return. “The OSP will enforce your return, or you can choose to return to the jurisdiction voluntarily.”