The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that his office has formally transmitted a request for the extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and his alleged accomplice, Ernest Darko Kore, from the United States.
Dr Ayine disclosed this during the government’s Accountability Series on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
According to the Attorney-General, the process was initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on November 19, 2025, with a formal request to commence extradition proceedings against the two individuals.
He described the development as a significant milestone in the ongoing investigation into Ofori-Atta’s alleged role in causing financial loss to the state in connection with the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) deal.
Following a preliminary review, the International Cooperation Unit of the Attorney-General’s Department identified certain deficiencies in the initial documentation that needed to be addressed to comply with legal and procedural requirements.
“As a result, we communicated our observations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor in a letter dated November 25 and requested additional documentation to ensure completeness,” Dr Ayine explained.
The OSP responded on December 9, 2025, by submitting the required supplementary documents, thereby completing the extradition request package.
Subsequently, on December 10, 2025, the Attorney-General’s office forwarded the complete request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for onward transmission to the relevant authorities in the United States, particularly the Department of Justice.
Dr Ayine emphasised that the final decision now lies with the US authorities.
“At this point, it is left to the authorities of the United States, particularly the judicial authorities, to determine whether there is sufficient basis for the two accused persons to be extradited to Ghana to stand trial,” he stated.