- Ken Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024, making him the longest-serving finance minister in the country’s history.
- He is now wanted internationally, appearing on Interpol’s red list for charges of “using public office for profit.”
- The Interpol red notice is part of a legal battle with Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor, which declared him a “fugitive” earlier this year amid a broad anti-corruption campaign.
- Ofori-Atta denies the charges, insisting he was not the originating or implementing minister in most of the cases brought against him.
- At the time the notice was issued, he was receiving medical treatment in the United States.
- He is also implicated in allegations surrounding $58 million of public funds spent on the abandoned National Cathedral project in Accra, a project he personally supported.
- The anti-corruption drive gained momentum after the National Democratic Congress took power in December, promising to tackle corruption allegedly entrenched under the previous New Patriotic Party administration.
- Ofori-Atta is related to Nana Akufo-Addo, the former president and leader of the New Patriotic Party government under which he served.
- His tenure saw Ghana default on its debt in December 2022, leading to a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
- While Ofori-Atta attributes the default to the Covid-19 pandemic and currency depreciation, critics argue government overspending was a major contributing factor.
So What?
The unfolding legal case against Ofori-Atta underscores Ghana’s urgent need for transparent governance and accountability as it seeks to restore public trust and financial stability.
