Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has argued that a public alert could have prevented former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from leaving the country.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, Mr. Kpebu suggested that the Special Prosecutor failed to act decisively when it mattered most. He said the Office should have informed the nation after attempts to block the travel were ignored by security agencies.
“I’m not being investigated for any offence at all. I was invited only to clarify comments I had made,” Kpebu explained. “The Office wanted some evidence to back my statements, to help the fight against corruption.”
According to Kpebu, the key issue revolves around the Special Prosecutor’s admission that Ofori-Atta had written to both the incoming and outgoing Chiefs of Staff before travelling.
While the Special Prosecutor intercepted the letter, he reportedly sought help from the National Investigations Bureau, National Security, and the Ghana Immigration Service — but was unsuccessful at all three institutions. Kpebu described this as a major indictment of these bodies.
However, he said the real failure lay in what the Special Prosecutor did not do. “It didn’t occur to the man who had done the ‘Ankwanuma’ press conference that he should blow the whistle,” Kpebu said.
The lawyer suggested that a public press conference alerting citizens could have prevented the former minister’s departure. “The Special Prosecutor should have said: ‘Hey, people of Ghana, I’ve clear evidence Mr Ofori-Atta is about to travel out of Ghana and I’ve gone to these institutions, but they are not helping me,’” Kpebu said.
He added that such an alert would have prompted immediate action. “You know how many people would have taken steps to the airport to prevent him from travelling?”
Kpebu, who was part of the ORAL team at the time, said they had people with authority who could have intervened, including security officials like Kofi Boakye.
He insisted that a simple public alert could have changed everything and believes the former Finance Minister’s exit could have been stopped if the Special Prosecutor had informed the public.
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