Dr Dominic Akurutinga Ayine, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has formally transmitted a request to the United States Department of Justice for the extradition of former Finance Minister Mr Ken Ofori-Atta and his chef de cabine, Mr Ernest Darko Akore to face charges.
Speaking at the Government’s Accountability Series Press in Accra, Dr Ayine recalled that the Office of the Special Prosecutor investigated acts of corruption and corruption-related offenses by the former Finance Minister and his accomplices and proceeded to file charges in the High Court of Justice against them.
He said on November 19, his office received a formal request from the Office of the Special Prosecutor to initiate extradition proceedings for Ken Ofori-Atta and Mr Ernest Darko Akore from the United States.
He said following a preliminary review, their International Cooperation Unit observed that certain aspects of the request required clarification and enhancement to align with the applicable legal and procedural requirements.
Dr Ayine said they communicated these observations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor via a letter dated 25 November, and requested supplementary documentation to ensure completeness.
He noted that on December 9, the Office of the Special Prosecutor provided the requested additional documentation and addressed the observations that we reached, thereby finalizing the extradition request packages.
The Attorney-General said subsequently, on December 10, his office transmitted a complete request to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for onward transmission to the competent authorities in the United States, which in this case was the Department of Justice of the United States.
“At this point, it is left to the American authorities, especially judicial authorities, to make a determination on whether a sufficient basis exists for the two accused persons to be extradited to Ghana to stand trial,” Dr Ayine said.
“And because the matters have already been filed, and because they have been filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, I am not permitted to go into the details of the charges.”
He noted that the charge sheet was a public document in which there were 78 charges against Mr Ofori-Atta and his accomplices.
He said the charges bordered on causing financial loss to the state and using public office for private benefit
He said the Government was committed to accountability, and that it had taken the requisite steps that were legally required for Mr Ofori-Atta and Mr Akore to be extradited to Ghana, to be brought to Ghana to face justice.
The Attorney-General reiterated that it was now left to the judicial authorities in the United States to assess the entire package that they had presented to find out whether there was sufficient basis for him to be extradited.
