Manasseh Azure Awuni an award-winning investigative journalist has exposed the former finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta after he attempted to wash his hands from the corruption cases levelled against him by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
In an open letter dated February 26, Ken Ofori-Atta claimed he was not originating nor implementing Minister in any of the corruption cases.
Ken Ofori Atta stated, “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.
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“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”, his letter added.
Reacting to Ken Ofori Atta’s comments, Manasseh Azure Awuni in a Facebook post exposed the former finance minister labelling his assertion as false.
Manasseh supported his claim with official documents that directly link the Ken Ofori-Atta to key decisions on the SML contract.
He wrote on Facebook, “ In a letter published by the media, the former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, said of the corruption cases for which he is wanted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor: “I was not the originating nor implementing Minister in any of these portfolios.”
That assertion is false. Here is a letter on the shady SML contract. This letter said the Minister of Finance (Ken Ofori-Atta) had “determined” that the contract should be expanded”, he stated.
The Investigative Journalist post added, “When I wrote to the Minerals Commission and the Petroleum Commission during my investigation of the SML scandal, they said they didn’t know anything about the contract. These are the state agencies responsible for the sectors Ken Ofori-Atta wanted the contract to extend to.
As this letter suggests, even the Ghana Revenue Authority was not involved in determining the scope of the contract, even though the GRA is responsible for revenue collection and losses. The GRA was handed a contract to make inputs because it had co-signed the original contract with the Ministry of Finance”, he added.
On what basis did Ken Ofori-Atta make this determination when our investigation showed that SML was not delivering the solutions it claimed on its website? When we confronted the company, it admitted the false claims and deleted them from the website.
Meanwhile, Ken Ofori Atta has been accused of causing financial loss to the state in several dealings including the construction of the famous National Cathedral and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA’s) – Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), the loss reduction contract between ECG and Beijing Jao and Health Ministry to Service Ghana Auto Limited/Ambulances.
On 24th January 2025, the OSP communicated to Mr Ofori-Atta that the OSP considered him a suspect concerning four of the cases above. Mr Ofori-Atta was asked to attend in person on Monday 10th February 2025 at 10GMT for an interview…Mr Ofori-Atta instructed his lawyers to inform the OSP that he was out of the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds…”
The Office of the Special Prosecutor later removed former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta from its wanted list.
According to a statement released by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, this move was initiated after the suspect confirmed his return date to Ghana
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