The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court on Thursday, October 23, 2025, heard two crucial applications in the ongoing legal battle between fo
The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court on Thursday, October 23, 2025, heard two crucial applications in the ongoing legal battle between former Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), in a case that has become emblematic of the growing institutional friction between the country’s anti-corruption agencies.
During Thursday’s sitting, counsel for Ofori-Atta moved two motions — one seeking discoveries and the other requesting leave to amend the originating motion on notice.
Both applications were strongly opposed by counsel representing the OSP.
After hearing preliminary arguments, the presiding judge directed both parties to file their written submissions by midnight on Friday, October 24, 2025, and adjourned proceedings to November 25, 2025, for ruling on the motions.
The case stems from Ofori-Atta’s legal challenge against the OSP’s decision to declare him “wanted” earlier this year.
The former minister contends that the OSP exceeded its constitutional mandate by making such a declaration public and that his rights were violated in the process.
The suit, therefore, seeks to restrain the OSP from what his legal team describes as “arbitrary and prejudicial conduct.”
This latest courtroom development comes against the backdrop of a broader institutional standoff between the OSP and the Attorney-General’s Office over the extradition of Ofori-Atta, who has been under investigation for alleged corruption, financial impropriety, and abuse of office during his tenure between 2017 and 2024.
In June 2025, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng wrote to the Office of the President, seeking assistance to initiate extradition procedures against the former minister, who was believed to be outside Ghana.
The Presidency, however, redirected the OSP to the Attorney-General’s Department, emphasizing that extradition processes fall under the AG’s constitutional authority.
Subsequently, the Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, through his deputy, Justice Srem-Sai, requested that the OSP collaborate by providing a full case docket and investigative report to facilitate the legal process.
Although the OSP nominated two senior officers — Director Albert Akurugu and Senior Prosecutor Kaiser Francis Amedome Wilson — to join the joint task force, it failed to submit the key documents requested.
The Attorney-General’s Office sent a follow-up reminder in September 2025, but the OSP reportedly did not comply, sparking public concern about a lack of coordination and transparency between the two agencies.
Legal analysts have described the standoff as part of a recurring pattern of bureaucratic friction in the justice system, particularly in politically sensitive corruption cases.
Critics say the OSP’s approach risks undermining confidence in the government’s anti-corruption framework.
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