Monday, 17 March

Ken Ofori-Atta sues OSP for declaring him wanted

Politics
Ken Ofori-Atta (L) and Kissi Agyebeng (R)

Ken Ofori-Atta, the immediate past Finance Minister, has filed a lawsuit against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and Kissi Agyebeng, the OSP's head, accusing both of illegally declaring him a wanted person.

The lawsuit, submitted to the Accra High Court, Thursday, March 13, 2025, sought compensation and a declaration the OSP’s actions contravened Ofori-Atta's fundamental human rights.

According to Ofori-Atta’s legal representatives, the public declaration made on February 12, resulted in significant and irremediable harm to his reputation, leading to undue stress. They took grave issue with Ofori-Atta remaining listed on the OSP’s website as a wanted individual, despite the OSP declaring on February 18, it had removed the tag.

See some of the declarations from Ofori-Atta's suit below:

1. The OSP has no legal mandate to use media briefings to declare an individual wanted. Ken Ofori-Atta argues that such declarations fall under police jurisdiction and must be done with court approval.
    
2. By declaring him wanted without proper legal basis, the OSP allegedly exceeded its authority under the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (LI 2374).

3. The alleged unlawful declaration infringes on his personal liberty (Article 14) and freedom of movement (Article 21) as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. It also violates international human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights (AfCHPR).

Source: classfmonline.com