Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, has accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of deliberately evading accountability following his detention in the United States.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Monday, January 12, he dismissed claims that Ofori-Atta’s continued stay in the US was purely on health grounds, insisting the former minister failed to seek the appropriate extensions and had overstayed his permitted period.
“Let nobody put any velvet gloves on this matter,” Kotoko said, arguing that the circumstances surrounding Ofori-Atta’s stay point to a conscious attempt to avoid accountability rather than a genuine medical situation.
He further blamed the former minister’s legal team for what he termed as poor advice, stating that both Mr Ofori-Atta and his lawyers had “failed themselves” by allowing the situation to escalate into an international embarrassment.
Kotoko stressed that his description of Ofori-Atta as a criminal was not limited to strict legal interpretation, but also reflected the broader meaning of the term, maintaining that the former finance minister’s conduct fits that description in the court of public judgment.
His comments come on the back of fresh disclosures by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, who confirmed that Ofori-Atta’s US visa was not only overstayed but had been formally revoked by American authorities.
The Attorney-General clarified that the visa revocation was a deliberate decision linked to ongoing investigations, and not a routine immigration issue, reinforcing the government’s claims that accountability processes involving the former minister remain active.
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