Enayat Qasimi, an international legal practitioner and counsel for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, has described the ongoing GRA–SML corruption case involving his client as politically motivated, insisting that Ofori-Atta is not attempting to evade justice.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Qasimi argued that investigative authorities, particularly the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), were fully aware that the former finance minister was abroad for medical treatment and therefore had no justification to issue an Interpol Red Notice against him.
Mr Ofori-Atta is facing 78 counts of corruption alongside seven other individuals in connection with the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) revenue assurance contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). The charges include alleged breaches of Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and Section 92(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).
Qasimi maintained that his client remains willing to cooperate fully with Ghana’s legal process. “He is fully committed to complying with the laws of Ghana, and he is fully committed to answering for anything that he did when he was the finance minister. There is absolutely no question about that,” he said.
According to Qasimi, the central issue is whether Ofori-Atta’s constitutional rights are being respected. He claimed they are not, adding that authorities acted improperly by issuing a Red Notice despite knowing his client’s whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced on December 18 that his office has formally submitted an extradition request to the United States for Ken Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Akore.
