President John Dramani Mahama has intensified pressure on former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, questioning why he remains outside Ghana if he genuinely believes he committed no wrongdoing while managing the country’s finances.
Speaking during a citizens’ engagement at Ho Technical University as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Volta Region, Mahama argued that a public official confident of his innocence should be prepared to return home and submit himself to the legal process.
The President delivered the dramatic challenge while explaining the government’s efforts to secure Ofori-Atta’s return from the United States. He stressed that Ghana cannot simply force the former minister onto a plane because extradition must follow established international legal procedures.
According to Mahama, the Attorney-General’s Department has already initiated the extradition process, but American authorities have requested additional documentation. He explained that Ofori-Atta is entitled to challenge the request before a United States court, where a judge will ultimately decide whether he should be returned to Ghana.
However, Mahama questioned why the former minister would fiercely resist returning if he believes his record is clean.
“I don’t see why you should flee your own country,” the President declared, insisting that Ghana’s judicial system would offer Ofori-Atta a fair hearing and the opportunity to defend himself with experienced lawyers.
Mahama also revived Ofori-Atta’s previous description of himself as a father who could not abandon his children when some New Patriotic Party MPs demanded his removal from office. The President said that if Ghanaians were truly his “children,” then he should listen to their call and return to account for his stewardship.
The remarks have injected fresh drama into the controversy surrounding the former Finance Minister’s continued stay abroad. Mahama warned that refusing to return could leave a permanent cloud of suspicion over Ofori-Atta’s public record.
Despite the heated political rhetoric, Ofori-Atta remains entitled to the presumption of innocence. Any criminal responsibility must ultimately be established by a competent court after a fair legal process.
