OSP Blames Security Agencies for Failing to Stop Ofori-Atta’s Exit
Special Prosecutor says political interference crippled OSP’s efforts as former Finance Minister exited Ghana.
- Kissi Agyebeng says OSP lacked support from security agencies when Ofori-Atta left Ghana
- Blames political interference and institutional sabotage for the lapse
- OSP to charge Ofori-Atta, ex-GRA chiefs over corruption-linked SML contracts
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has revealed that state security agencies failed to cooperate with his office, allowing former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to leave Ghana amid an ongoing corruption probe.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Agyebeng defended the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) against public criticism for not stopping Mr. Ofori-Atta’s December 2024 departure to the United States. He explained that his office lacked operational control over national exit points like Kotoka International Airport, making it impossible to prevent the former minister’s exit without support from other agencies.
“He left between December 1 and 7. Who was in power at that time? We don’t control the airports. His cousin was the President — let’s face facts,” Agyebeng said, suggesting that political influence and family ties to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hindered institutional collaboration.
According to him, the OSP made several requests for assistance from key security agencies, but those calls went unanswered. “It was as if there was a deliberate policy of blocking the OSP out,” he lamented, adding that the security architecture at the time was “set up against” his office, making it impossible to enforce its mandate.
Mr. Agyebeng noted that conditions have since improved, with stronger coordination between the OSP, the Ghana Immigration Service, and National Security. “Now, we can rely on them to block someone from leaving the country. Then, you would call Immigration and no one would even respond,” he said.
His comments come as the OSP prepares to press charges against several high-profile figures, including Ken Ofori-Atta, former GRA bosses Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti, as well as other officials linked to the controversial GRA–SML revenue assurance contracts.
The upcoming prosecutions, expected by end of November 2025, follow extensive investigations that uncovered alleged corruption, procurement breaches, and abuse of office in the handling of the contracts.
