IMANI Africa’s Founding President, Franklin Cudjoe, says Ghana should have negotiated to have former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta extradited to Ghana in exchange for accepting the deportees, after the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had successfully put him on Interpol’s red list.
Cudjoe suggests the country has missed an opportunity for a possible “swap deal” where Ghana could have used its cooperation in accepting deportees as a bargaining chip to secure Ofori-Atta’s extradition. He argued that this would have demonstrated both diplomatic tact and seriousness in recovering stolen public funds.
In a passionate Facebook post reacting to the latest twist in the Ken Ofori-Atta extradition saga, where some documents between the OSP and the Attorney General (AG), have been leaked, Cudjoe said the government’s approach to recovering funds from high-profile scandals like the National Cathedral and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) cases has been poorly handled.
He criticized what appears to be a deepening friction between the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Attorney-General’s (AG) Department, over the alleged corruption cases involving the former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Ken Ofori-Atta is alleged to have played a role in the country losing millions of cedis over the National Cathedral and SML deal cases.
The founding president of IMANI Africa is worried that while Ghana is losing valuable ground in the fight against corruption, the two institutions are engaged in what he calls “needless turf wars.”
According to him, instead of allowing internal rivalry and document exchanges to stall progress, the government could have leveraged the situation diplomatically and strategically to Ghana’s advantage.
He lamented that the government’s silence and the growing rift between the OSP and the AG’s office have cast doubt on their commitment to accountability.
“The power of extradition lies with the government through the Attorney-General. The two cases are well-known and documented, and straightforward. The AG doesn’t need any further documentation from the OSP!!,” he indicated.
He expressed frustration that rather than coordinating their efforts, the AG and OSP appear to be undermining each other through leaks and counter-leaks, a development he says only weakens Ghana’s anti-corruption front.
“The best way out of these not-so-clever leaks is for the AG and the OSP to speak to us in a press conference to clear the air. After all, these anti-corruption institutions are supposed to be working together, not fighting needless turf wars,” he urged.
