The Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that his office has formally transmitted a request for the extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Akore, from the United States.
Dr Ayine made the disclosure while speaking at the government’s Accountability Series held on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
According to him, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) initiated the process on November 19, 2025, when it submitted a request for the commencement of extradition proceedings against the two individuals.
According to the Attorney General, this is a major step in the ongoing investigation of the former finance minister in his alleged involvement in causing financial loss in the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
He explained that following a preliminary review, the International Cooperation Unit of the Attorney General’s Department identified gaps in the documentation that required enhancement to meet the relevant legal and procedural standards.
“As a result, we communicated our observations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor in a letter dated November 25 and requested additional documentation to ensure completeness,” Dr Ayine said.
He noted that the OSP responded on December 9, 2025, providing the supplementary documents and addressing the issues raised, thereby finalising the extradition request package.
Dr Ayine said his office subsequently transmitted the complete extradition request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 10, 2025, for onward submission to the appropriate authorities in the United States, specifically the Department of Justice.
The Attorney General stressed, however, that the decision now rests with the American authorities.
“At this point, it is left to the authorities of the United States, particularly the judicial authorities, to determine whether there is sufficient basis for the two accused persons to be extradited to Ghana to stand trial,” he added.
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