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We Have Not Received OSP Docket on Ken Ofori-Atta Extradition Despite Repeated Requests – Deputy AG
Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Justice Srem-Sai, has revealed that his office has not yet received any docket from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) concerning the extradition of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to Mr. Srem-Sai, the Attorney General’s office has, over the past two months, made several formal requests to the OSP for the necessary documents required to initiate an extradition process with authorities in the United States of America (USA).
Speaking in an interview with GHOne TV, he explained, “We are the only authority empowered to make extradition requests. However, we need a complete investigative docket from the OSP to begin the process. As of today, we still do not have that docket. We have written multiple times to the OSP, formally requesting it. Since they publicly announced that the docket was ready and that they wanted Mr. Ofori-Atta extradited, it is only proper that they forward it to us, as the Attorney General’s office is solely responsible for such requests.”
He added that without the docket, the government cannot approach American authorities to seek extradition.
“You cannot simply tell the U.S. that you want someone extradited. You must present a full case file. When the U.S. requests extradition from Ghana, they send a complete docket as though they are ready to go to court and we then present that to our courts to determine merit. We are required to do the same, presenting all evidence and legal grounds before the U.S. can process our request,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ofori-Atta’s lawyer, Frank Davies, has rejected claims that his client is on the run.
Speaking to Joy News, Mr. Davies said the former Finance Minister “is doing well” and has made himself available through appropriate legal channels. He emphasized that Mr. Ofori-Atta is not in hiding and continues to rely on his faith as the legal proceedings progress.
The extradition effort was initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor following Mr. Ofori-Atta’s alleged failure to return to Ghana for questioning over investigations into questionable financial transactions during his tenure.
Mr. Ofori-Atta is currently under investigation for allegedly causing financial loss to the state through five major transactions including the National Cathedral project, the GRA-SML contract, the termination of the ECG–Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC) deal, the ambulance spare parts contract, and payments from the GRA’s Tax Refund Account.
By AJ Prince Kpabitey