Ken Ofori-Atta is the first Ghanaian minister to use sickness to flee from accountability — Akwatia MP

The Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako, has accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of deliberately remaining outside Ghana to avoid ongoing investigations and possible legal action.

Mr. Bediako described the situation as unprecedented, arguing that it is unusual for a former political appointee facing public scrutiny and investigations to leave the country under such circumstances.

He questioned the reasons initially given for Mr. Ofori-Atta’s absence from Ghana, insisting that the former minister’s reported efforts to secure permanent residency in the United States raise serious concerns about his willingness to return and answer questions regarding his tenure in office.

“What we are hearing today has never happened before. I don't recall where a political appointee serves for years and literally runs away from the jurisdiction.

“We were never told that he was going to run to seek asylum in the US, even as far as getting a Green Card. We were told that he was sick and people even took us on when we wanted to interrogate the issue. He ran away under the guise of being sick and his so-called love for Ghana has vanished and he is now seeking refuge in the USA,” he said in an interview on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, June 20.

His comments come amid reports that Mr. Ofori-Atta's I-485 petition, a major step toward obtaining lawful permanent resident status in the United States, was approved by a US immigration court on June 15.

The development has intensified public debate over the former Finance Minister's continued stay abroad and its implications for ongoing investigations in Ghana.

Mr. Bediako also rejected comparisons between Ofori-Atta's case and that of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Attionu-Tamakloe.

According to him, the circumstances surrounding the two cases are markedly different, noting that legal proceedings against Attionu-Tamakloe had already commenced in Ghana before she travelled to the United States for medical treatment.

He maintained that the current controversy surrounding Mr. Ofori-Atta raises important questions about accountability and the obligation of former public officials to cooperate with state institutions when called upon to do so.