The Ofori-Atta Affair: Ghana’s Justice System Must Rise to the Moment

As Ghana finds itself gripped by the drawn-out saga surrounding former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, the country is confronted with a question far greater than one man’s guilt or innocence: can our institutions deliver justice when it matters most?

For months, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has sought to engage Mr. Ofori-Atta in an investigation over alleged misconduct during his tenure. But what was initially a matter of procedure has evolved into a concerning contest between public accountability and evasive technicality. At the center of it all is a growing fear that our justice system — already criticized for inertia — may once again falter when the stakes are highest.

In a country where political rhetoric often eclipses legal action, Mr. Ofori-Atta’s consistent failure to appear before the OSP has not only raised eyebrows but deepened public frustration. Despite an extended deadline and a reported willingness to cooperate, he remained elusive until just days before his revised summons expired — when, through his lawyers, he submitted a biopsy report claiming prostate cancer.

Yet the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, was clear: no official medical documentation had been received. And while Mr. Ofori-Atta’s team has requested a virtual interview, the OSP insists that justice — particularly for public figures entrusted with national resources — cannot be served behind a screen.

This standoff has become emblematic of a deeper dysfunction. Too often in Ghana, legal processes are stretched thin by legal gymnastics, procedural delays, and political manoeuvring. It is not justice delayed — it is justice in chains. The public, understandably, is running out of patience.

What is at stake here is not just whether Mr. Ofori-Atta is culpable, but whether the law can prevail in the face of power and privilege. The integrity of the OSP is on trial, too. The Ghanaian people deserve a justice system that is swift, transparent, and unyielding — not one that allows a man’s prominence to supersede the nation’s right to know the truth.

And so, a few matters must be confronted without ambiguity.

First, the OSP must move decisively to protect the integrity of its investigation. If Ken Ofori-Atta continues to disregard its summonses, the legal basis exists to proceed with charges and trial in absentia. Ghana’s legal system recognizes that justice cannot perpetually wait on the convenience of the accused.

Second, the call to freeze his assets — far from being a political gesture — is a legal safeguard. It ensures that should wrongdoing be proven; restitution can be made. If the OSP has reasonable grounds to believe that state resources were misapplied or misappropriated, it has both the right and duty to secure those assets in the public interest.

Third, public communication must be strengthened. The OSP cannot afford to operate in silence while speculation fills the void. Transparency does not compromise justice; it reinforces it. Clear, factual updates are essential not to sway opinion, but to remind Ghanaians that their institutions are not asleep at the wheel.

The loudest voices on either side of the debate — those who wish to shield Ofori-Atta and those determined to convict him prematurely — must not obscure the fundamental issue. This is not about vengeance. This is not about politics. This is about the rule of law and the right of the Ghanaian people to demand accountability from those they entrust with power.

If Mr. Ofori-Atta is indeed unwell, let the appropriate medical authorities verify it and let the law accommodate his condition reasonably. But if this is yet another chapter in Ghana’s long story of elite impunity, then the OSP must act with clarity, confidence, and consequence.

Justice in this country has always claimed to grind slowly. But this time, we are not seeing the wheels move at all. Ghana cannot afford for this case to be another footnote in our catalogue of unprosecuted scandals. The moment demands courage. The law demands action. And the people deserve closure.