The Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has confirmed that his office has formally transmitted a request for the extradition of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Darko Akore, from the United States.
Dr Ayine made the disclosure on Thursday, December 18, 2025, while speaking at the government’s Accountability Series.
He explained that the extradition process was initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on November 19, 2025, when it submitted a formal request for the commencement of proceedings against the two individuals.
According to the Attorney-General, the move marks a significant step in investigations into the former finance minister’s alleged role in causing financial loss to the state in relation to the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) case.
Dr Ayine disclosed that an initial review by the International Cooperation Unit of the Attorney-General’s Department identified gaps in the documentation submitted by the OSP, which needed to be addressed to meet the required legal and procedural standards.
“As a result, we communicated our observations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor in a letter dated November 25 and requested additional documentation to ensure completeness,” he said.
He noted that the OSP responded on December 9, 2025, submitting supplementary documents and addressing all the concerns raised, thereby finalising the extradition request package.
The Attorney-General added that his office subsequently forwarded the completed request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 10, 2025, for onward transmission to the appropriate authorities in the United States, particularly the US Department of Justice.
Dr Ayine stressed that the next phase of the process now rests with the American authorities.
“At this point, it is left to the authorities of the United States, especially the judicial authorities, to determine whether there is sufficient basis for the two accused persons to be extradited to Ghana to stand trial,” he added.
