Extradition request for Ken Ofori-Atta and Ernest Akore filed – AG confirms

Maxwell Nyagamago 11:58 - 18 December 2025

Ken Ofori-Atta

The Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that his office has filed a request for the extradition of former Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori-Atta and Ernest Darko Akore, a former Chef de Cabinet at the Ministry of Finance.

According to Dr Ayine, the request was transmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10 December 2025 for onward transmission to the United States Department of Justice.

Addressing a news conference on Thursday, 18 December 2025, Dr Ayine revealed that the process was completed after the Office of the Special Prosecutor addressed concerns raised in the initial extradition request.

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Attorney General (AG), Dr Dominic Ayine

He stated:

Following a preliminary review, our International Cooperation Unit observed that certain aspects of the request required clarification and enhancement to align with the applicable legal procedural requirements. We communicated these observations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor via a letter dated 25 November 2025 and requested supplementary documentation to ensure completeness.

He continued:

On 9 December 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor provided the requested additional documentation and addressed the observations we raised, thereby finalising the extradition request package.

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Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng

He added:

Subsequently, on 10 December 2025, my office transmitted the complete request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for onward transmission to the competent authorities in the United States of America, in this case the Department of Justice.

Dr Ayine further noted that, with the request officially filed, it is now up to the American authorities, particularly the judicial authorities, to determine whether there is a sufficient basis for the extradition of the two accused.

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Ken Ofori-Atta

Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and seven others are facing a total of seventy-eight (78) charges. Those standing trial include Ernest Darko Akore, aged sixty-seven (67), former Chef de Cabinet at the Ministry of Finance; Emmanuel Kofi Nti, sixty-six (66), former Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); and Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, sixty-four (64), also a former Commissioner-General of the GRA.

Other accused persons are Isaac Crentsil, sixty-three (63), a former Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA; Kwadwo Damoah, sixty-five (65), another former Commissioner of the Customs Division; and Evans Adusei, sixty-two (62), identified as the Chief Executive Officer and principal decision-maker of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).

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The company itself, previously known as Strategic Mobilisation Enhancement Limited, is also listed as an accused entity.

The charges follow several unsuccessful attempts by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to secure the physical presence of Mr Ofori-Atta, who is reportedly outside the country. The Special Prosecutor has indicated that formal processes have begun to extradite him to stand trial.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors allege that the accused persons participated in a sophisticated and prolonged scheme involving high-level collusion between senior public officials and SML.

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