By Ashiadey Dotse
The lawyer for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has denied claims that his client is evading justice, describing the case against him as politically motivated.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Enayat Qasimi, an international legal practitioner and counsel for Mr Ofori-Atta, said investigative authorities were fully aware that the former minister was abroad for medical treatment.
According to him, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) knew Mr Ofori-Atta’s location and health condition and therefore had no justification to issue a Red Notice against him.
Mr Ofori-Atta is facing 78 corruption-related charges together with seven other persons over the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) revenue assurance contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). The charges include alleged breaches of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).
Mr Qasimi stressed that his client is willing to cooperate fully with Ghana’s legal process.
“He is fully committed to complying with the laws of Ghana and answering for anything he did when he was finance minister,” he said.
However, he raised concerns about whether Mr Ofori-Atta’s constitutional rights are being respected, claiming that his client has not been treated in line with the rights guaranteed under Ghanaian law.
Mr Qasimi also insisted that there was no need for a Red Notice, since authorities knew Mr Ofori-Atta was receiving medical treatment in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced on December 18 that his office has submitted a formal extradition request to the United States for Ken Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Akore.
