The High Court in Accra has granted an embattled Member of Parliament permission to travel to London, in the latest procedural development in the high-profile criminal trial brought by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and seven others.
Col. (Rtd.) Kwadwo Damoah, MP for Jaman South and the sixth accused in the case, was granted leave to travel to the United Kingdom from 11 to 15 May 2026. The Court ordered him to depart Ghana on 9 May and return no later than 17 May 2026.
The Prosecution’s Objections
The Republic opposed the application on several grounds, chief among them the source of the supporting documentation attached to the request.
According to the prosecution, the letter backing the application originated from the Minority Caucus rather than from Parliament itself. In the Republic’s view, a request of that nature ought properly to have been supported by a communication from the Speaker of Parliament, which would carry institutional authority and formally validate the official purpose of the trip, which has to do with attendance at a training programme in London.
The prosecution further questioned the decision to select Col. (Rtd.)Damoah for the programme despite his ongoing criminal trial, arguing that another member of the Minority Caucus not facing criminal prosecution could reasonably have attended in his place.
The Court’s Reasoning
While the Court acknowledged the validity of the prosecution’s concerns about the supporting letter’s source, it ultimately found them insufficient to justify refusing the application. The decisive question, the Court held, was whether there was adequate evidence that Col. (Rtd.) Damoah would abscond if permitted to travel. Satisfied that no such evidence had been presented, the Court exercised its discretion in favour of granting the leave.
Background: Who is Col. (Rtd.) Kwadwo Damoah?
Col. (Rtd.) Damoah is no stranger to the public. He is a retired military officer, who previously served as Commissioner-General of Customs at the Ghana Revenue Authority, a role closely connected to the allegations now before the Court.
He was arraigned before the High Court in December 2025, entering a plea of not guilty to ten counts against him. The charges, brought alongside those against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and six others, include causing financial loss to the state and using public office for profit. The allegations centre on a revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), which the prosecution contends caused the Ghanaian state a loss in excess of GH¢1.4 billion.
At the time of his arraignment, the Court admitted Damoah to bail in the sum of GH¢50 million, with two justified sureties. His bail conditions included the deposit of his passport and all travel documents at the court registry, placement on the Ghana Immigration Service stop list at all ports of entry, and weekly reporting to the lead investigator.
The granting of travel leave this week, therefore, required the Court to lift, at least temporarily, conditions that had been specifically designed to keep him within the jurisdiction.
