Private legal practitioner, Thaddeus Sory has strongly criticized the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over its handling of the investigation into former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, accusing the OSP of engaging in grandstanding rather than delivering concrete legal action.
Sory’s comments follow a recent press conference in which the Special Prosecutor declared that Ofori-Atta was “on the run” amid an ongoing probe into alleged corruption. However, the legal expert has challenged this narrative, arguing that the OSP is diverting attention from its own inefficiencies by making unnecessary public declarations instead of executing its mandate effectively.
According to Sory, the OSP’s duty is not to provide updates but to take decisive action. “If you are looking for him, then find him. That is your job,” he asserted, emphasizing that it is his responsibility to track down and prosecute suspects instead of the needles public engagement.
He further dismissed claims that Ofori-Atta was deliberately evading justice, pointing out that the former minister has formally communicated that he is seeking medical attention abroad. Sory argued that instead of treating this as an obstruction, the OSP should engage with Ofori-Atta’s legal representatives to obtain the necessary information and determine the next steps.
The legal expert stressed that the OSP has all the tools at its disposal to move forward with the case without resorting to dramatic public statements. If the office has sufficient evidence, Sory advised, it should simply proceed with prosecution—whether or not Ofori-Atta is physically present. “The law allows for trials in absentia. That is what we expect—not storytelling,” he insisted.
He also questioned why, if the OSP believed Ofori-Atta was non-cooperative, it had not executed search and arrest warrants instead of engaging in what he described as “beating the gong gong” in the media.
Sory further in his criticism, accused the OSP of mismanaging state resources through ineffective publicity campaigns rather than concrete legal work. He argued that the time and effort spent making allegations in press conferences amounted to “causing financial loss to the Republic” by failing to act decisively.
Ken Ofori-Atta has been declared a fugitive by the OSP over his alleged involvement in some corruption cases when he was in government.
Ofori-Atta is in abroad and has evaded investigations, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has said indicating all necessary steps would be taken to bring him back.
Ofori-Atta has been accused of causing financial losses to the state, including the alleged spending of $58m (£46.6m) of government money in the controversial national cathedral project, which remains a hole in the ground.
