The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has accused state security agencies of failing to cooperate with his office in efforts to prevent former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from leaving Ghana amid ongoing corruption investigations.
Speaking on The KSM Show, Mr. Agyebeng said the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) was powerless to stop the former minister’s travel because it does not control the country’s exit points, including the Kotoka International Airport.
He suggested that Ofori-Atta’s influential family ties, particularly his relation to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, contributed to the institutional indifference his office encountered.
“He left between December 1 and 7. Who was in power at that time? His cousin was President, Nana Akufo-Addo. Let’s face facts,” Agyebeng said.
According to him, multiple requests for assistance from security agencies went unanswered, creating what he described as a “deliberate policy of blocking the OSP out.”
“We were not getting cooperation from the other security agencies. We asked for help, but we didn’t get it. It was as if the security setup was designed against the OSP,” he lamented.
Mr. Agyebeng stressed that his office could not have physically stopped Ofori-Atta from departing the airport without institutional backing.
“We didn’t watch him leave — we simply couldn’t prevent it. We were powerless,” he said.
The Special Prosecutor, however, noted that collaboration with agencies such as the Ghana Immigration Service and National Security has since improved.
“Now, we can rely on Immigration or National Security to block someone. Back then, you’d call or write, and no one would respond,” he added.
Mr. Agyebeng’s remarks come as the OSP prepares to file charges against several individuals implicated in the controversial Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)–Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) contracts.
Those expected to face prosecution include former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta; former GRA Commissioner-Generals Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti; senior GRA officials Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoa; and former Finance Ministry Technical Advisor Ernest Akore.
The OSP’s investigation uncovered alleged corruption, abuse of office, and procurement breaches in the awarding and execution of the SML-GRA revenue assurance contracts.
