Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of deliberately attempting to evade justice, insisting that claims he may not receive a fair trial in Ghana are baseless.
According to him, there is nothing extraordinary about Ghana’s justice system that should exempt Mr. Ofori-Atta from submitting himself to due process, especially considering that several former government and party officials are currently standing trial without incident.
Speaking on Joy News and monitored by NewsDesksGH on January 26, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu questioned why the former Finance Minister believes he should be treated differently from others who have faced prosecution.
“First of all, how has everyone else in Ghana been treated that is so extraordinary, exceptional, that Mr. Ofori-Atta does not want to subject himself to?” he asked.
He recalled that officials who served under the first John Mahama administration were prosecuted during the tenure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government and were subjected to the same legal processes now facing Ken Ofori-Atta.
“When he was in government there were people who had served in the first Mahama administration who were taken to court. And they faced the same process that he’ll be taken through, in the event that the Special Prosecutor or any other authority believes that he has to be taken to court. Why does he not want to subject himself to the same thing that everybody subjected themselves to?”
Felix Kwakye Ofosu stressed that the former Finance Minister’s concerns are unfounded.
“I think Mr. Ofori-Atta is simply attempting to evade justice, that’s all. Because the excuses he’s providing are not tenable. Nothing has happened in this country to suggest that he will be treated extra judicially,” he stated.
He then cited examples of some officials under the Nana Akufo-Addo administration who are currently facing trial but continue to enjoy their freedom while complying with court processes.
“Since we’ve been in power, there are former NPP officials who are standing trial. Wontumi was not even a government official, he was a party official, he’s standing trial. As of now, he’s a free man, he goes to court and goes back home. Is Ofori-Atta more human than Wontumi?” he asked.
“Mr. Abdul Hanan, the former CEO of the National Buffer Stock, he was an official in the NPP government, was he not? Today he’s standing trial. Is he less human than Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta?” he queried.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu further referenced Osei Assibey Antwi, former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), and Gifty Oware-Mensah, the former Deputy Executive Director of NSA, who are currently standing trial at the Accra High Court over their alleged involvement in a massive ghost names scandal.
“Are they any less human than Ken Ofori-Atta? Did they all not serve in the same government? So why will an exception be made for Mr. Ofori-Atta?”
Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is a central figure in multiple high-profile corruption investigations being conducted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The Government of Ghana has formally requested his extradition to face 78 counts of corruption and financial misconduct.
