Interpol issues red notice for Ghana’s ex-finance minister over corruption claims

Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana's then-finance minister, speaks during the G-24 news conference in Washington on April 19, 2018. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

ACCRA, Ghana — Global police organization Interpol placed Ghana ‘s former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta on its red notice list on Friday for allegedly using public office for personal gain.

The notice follows a request from the West African country’s prosecutors who have declared Ofori-Atta a “fugitive” after he failed to appear before an investigative panel this month citing medical reasons. The former minister’s lawyers said they submitted medical records to the court showing he is receiving treatment abroad. His exact location remains unclear.

Ofori-Atta’s lawyer, Frank Davies, told The Associated Press that the declaration of his client as a “fugitive” is “very condescending” and “an unfettered infringement of Ofori-Atta’s rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.”

Davies said the former minister had informed the authorities of his intention to travel outside the country for medical attention since February.

An Interpol red notice — while not an arrest warrant — alerts law enforcement agencies to locate and detain Ofori-Atta pending extradition.

Ofori-Atta, who served as finance minister from 2017 to 2024 for the New Patriotic Party, is accused of having been involved in several corruption cases, including the misuse of $58 million of public funds for a national cathedral project that never materialized.

Last December, the NPP’s candidate Mahamudu Bawumia lost the the presidential election to the National Democratic Congress nominee John Mahama.

Since taking office in January, Mahama has launched an anti-corruption campaign aimed at recovering US$20 billion in alleged stolen state funds. Critics, however, say the effort has spared allies of his administration.

Ofori-Atta has not commented on the accusations, but has said in the past he was unlawfully treated by the prosecution. In March, he filed a lawsuit against the office of the special prosecutor, requesting the removal of “damaging” content from the office’s social media platforms.

Francis Kokutse, The Associated Press