The Office of the Special Prosecutor has announced that INTERPOL has deleted the Red Notice issued at Ghana’s request for former Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta.
According to the Office, the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files directed the deletion of the notice under INTERPOL’s rules on political neutrality and notice processing.
The OSP revealed this in a statement shared to their official media channels on February 13.
“The Commission directed the deletion of the notice under INTERPOL’s rules on political neutrality and notice processing, citing contextual factors at the time of issuance, including ‘polarized political statements from members of current and former administrations about the conduct of the investigation,’ as well as public controversy surrounding prosecutorial and extradition processes, including public acknowledgment by senior officials at the Ministry of Justice of an inability, at the time, to pursue extradition due to the early procedural stage of the case.”
“It further observed that subsequent developments made the notice unnecessary, as Mr. Ofori-Atta’s location was known, cooperation with U.S. authorities was ongoing, and extradition processes had already been initiated following his arrest in the United States on 6 January 2026.”
The OSP however added that legal processes to secure his appearance in Ghana remain ongoing.
“Summons issued by the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra have been transmitted for service in the United States requiring his appearance to answer multiple criminal charges. Efforts to secure his appearance continue through established legal and diplomatic channels.”
THey assured, “The OSP reiterates that it remains guided solely by law and evidence and is committed to due process and the fair, lawful, and impartial prosecution of corruption and corruption-related offences.”
In early 2025, former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta was named as a suspect in high profile cases that caused financial loss to the state, but failed to appear for questioning, citing medical treatment in the United States.
He was subsequently declared a fugitive from justice, and put on the Interpol Red Notice list.
In November 2025, the OSP formally charged him and seven others with 78 counts of corruption and causing financial loss to the state.
He was recently detained on January 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C., by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reportedly for overstaying a visa that had been revoked in 2025, but has since been released.
