Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has spoken out for the first time regarding the criminal investigation launched against him by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), voicing his frustration over the matter.

In an open letter dated February 26, he described the situation as both perplexing and distressing, stating that he felt compelled to clarify the issues at hand.

His response comes after the OSP issued a wanted notice for him, only to later withdraw it. The investigation reportedly focuses on several financial transactions, including the Strategic Mobilisation-GRA contract, the ECG-BXC contract termination, payments related to the National Cathedral, the procurement of ambulances, and the management of the Tax Refund Account.

Amid increasing public scrutiny, the OSP later confirmed that Mr. Ofori-Atta had formally informed them of his intention to return voluntarily. Consequently, his name was removed from the wanted list, though the office warned that any failure to return as promised would result in further legal consequences.

Addressing the situation, Mr. Ofori-Atta expressed deep confusion over how events have unfolded.

“I have been in the news recently in quite a dramatic manner. I thought it important that I share with you the facts surrounding recent events and news articles concerning me and Ghana’s Special Prosecutor. I am as puzzled and dismayed, as I suspect you must be.

“I was out of the country on January 24, for medical reasons, when the Special Prosecutor invited me to an in-person meeting for Feb 10, 2025, in connection with four “corruption and corruption related cases”. I was not the originating nor implementing Minister in any of these portfolios. I immediately responded through my lawyers, indicating my willingness to have them provide him with any information he may require to aid in his investigation, given that I will be out of the country for the next few months for medical reasons.

“The Special Prosecutor rejected the offer to meet with my lawyers, insisting on a firm date for my personal attendance. Instead on February 11th, my home was raided by armed National Security operatives. The Special Prosecutor remarked that I had staged the raid on my own home and, subsequently, launched an international campaign and declared that I was a wanted “fugitive from justice”