Mahama to Ofori-Atta: If you've done nothing wrong, return to Ghana

Josephine Amuzu 17:11 - 17 July 2026

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Ken Ofori-Atta

resident John Dramani Mahama has called on former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to return to Ghana, saying the Attorney General has begun the legal process to secure his extradition.

President John Dramani Mahama has called on former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to voluntarily return to Ghana as authorities continue the legal process to secure his extradition.

Speaking during the Reset Tour and Citizens' Engagement in the Volta Region on Friday, July 17, the President appealed directly to Mr Ofori-Atta, reminding him of comments he made while serving in government about taking responsibility for those under his care.

You held the most sensitive position as finance minister and at the point when your own members of parliament, 80 of them signed an application that the president should remove you, you said something historic, you said you are like the father of children and that you can’t run away and leave your children, he said.

President Mahama urged the former minister to honour those words by returning home.

So if we Ghanaians are your children, we are calling you, we are begging you, father come back, your children are calling you to come back.

The President also questioned why someone who maintains they have done nothing wrong would choose to remain outside the country instead of returning to respond to the allegations.

If you are a man of principle and you believe you have done nothing wrong, I don’t see why you should flee your own country, he said.

Addressing the ongoing extradition efforts, President Mahama stressed that the process must be conducted in accordance with the law while safeguarding the rights of the individual concerned.

Extradition or return of fugitives from justice, it’s a legal process and so you need to respect the rights of the person at the same time, he said.

He explained that because the matter involves another jurisdiction, Ghana must submit a formal extradition request, after which the courts in the country where Mr Ofori-Atta is currently located will determine whether the request should be granted.

According to the President, the Attorney General's Department has already initiated the required legal procedures and is responding to further documentation requests as part of the case.

The Attorney General’s Department has done its best, it filed the application, there are some additional documents that were asked for that it is filing and eventually it will all go before an American judge to make a decision, he said.

Mr Ofori-Atta is currently outside Ghana, while the government continues to pursue his return through the legal extradition process.

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