Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is set to return to the center of Ghana’s political and legal storm, with his criminal trial expected to resume on Thursday, August 27, 2026, following a major Supreme Court ruling affirming the constitutional powers of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The development comes after Ghana’s Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), removing a significant legal obstacle that had affected several prosecutions being pursued by the anti-corruption agency. The court affirmed the OSP’s statutory authority to independently investigate and prosecute corruption and corruption-related offences.
Proceedings in a number of OSP cases had been disrupted after an earlier High Court decision raised questions about the Special Prosecutor’s prosecutorial powers and whether prior authorization was required before launching criminal prosecutions. The Supreme Court has now set aside that High Court decision, effectively clearing the path for affected cases to continue.
For Ofori-Atta, the ruling means attention now turns sharply to August 27.
The former Finance Minister is facing 28 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences connected to the controversial revenue assurance contracts involving Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The OSP alleges that Ofori-Atta and other accused persons were involved in unlawful conduct surrounding the procurement and implementation of the SML-GRA arrangements. The accusations remain allegations and will be determined through the judicial process.
Ofori-Atta remains outside Ghana, while extradition-related processes have also been pursued. The OSP’s official case tracker lists the former minister’s extradition process as active.
The Supreme Court ruling is therefore a significant boost for the OSP as it seeks to push ahead with some of Ghana’s most politically sensitive corruption prosecutions.
With August 27 now looming, all eyes will be on the courtroom as the legal battle involving one of Ghana’s most prominent former government officials enters another explosive chapter.
