The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has dismissed claims that proceedings involving former Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta before a United States immigration court amount to a determination of his innocence over criminal charges in Ghana.
In a public notice issued on Tuesday, the OSP said it had taken note of a transcript of a U.S. immigration court hearing being circulated by some media outlets, which allegedly suggests that Mr. Ofori-Atta had not been credibly charged or shown to have engaged in wrongdoing in Ghana.
The Office said such interpretations are inaccurate and reiterated that it is not involved in immigration proceedings in the United States.
According to the OSP, its role is limited to extradition proceedings being pursued through Ghana’s Attorney-General, acting as the central authority.
The Office recalled that it had previously clarified on June 16, 2026, that the U.S. immigration case is separate from efforts to extradite Mr. Ofori-Atta to Ghana to face criminal charges.
“The extradition packet is not before the immigration court,” the OSP stated, adding that the credibility or otherwise of the criminal charges against the former finance minister can only be determined by the courts in Ghana.
The Office stressed that an immigration court in the United States has no jurisdiction to determine Mr. Ofori-Atta’s guilt or innocence regarding criminal charges pending before the High Court in Accra.
To avoid further public misunderstanding, the OSP distinguished among three separate legal proceedings involving Mr. Ofori-Atta.
It explained that the first relates to immigration proceedings in the United States concerning his immigration status.
The second concerns extradition proceedings, which will determine whether he should be surrendered to Ghana under the applicable extradition treaty.
The third involves the criminal prosecution pending before the High Court in Accra, where Mr. Ofori-Atta faces corruption and corruption-related charges.
The OSP maintained that Mr. Ofori-Atta remains the subject of criminal proceedings in Ghana and that a valid warrant for his arrest has been issued by the High Court in Accra.
It further stated that the former minister remains a fugitive from justice and is required to submit himself to the jurisdiction of the High Court to answer the charges against him.
According to the Office, the criminal proceedings in Ghana will continue in accordance with the law and the directives of the High Court, regardless of whether Mr. Ofori-Atta is physically present in the country.
The OSP urged the public to distinguish between the separate legal processes and cautioned against interpreting developments in the U.S. immigration proceedings as a determination of the criminal case pending before the Ghanaian courts.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
