The criminal proceedings involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and seven other accused persons have been postponed to February 26 after the court granted a request by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for additional time to complete outstanding procedural steps. The delay is intended to allow the prosecution to finalise international processes connected to the service of court summons and to complete mandatory pre trial disclosures.
The request followed difficulties encountered by the prosecution in serving summons on Mr Ofori-Atta and another accused person, Ernest Darko Akore, both of whom have been declared fugitives from justice and are believed to be outside the country. Because of their location, the service of summons must be carried out through the Attorney General’s Department, a process the prosecution informed the court is still in progress.
According to JoyNews Legal Affairs Correspondent Kwaku Asante, the sitting scheduled for Wednesday was originally meant to serve as a case management conference. Such a conference is a procedural stage at which the court sets timelines and issues directions on how a criminal trial will be conducted. However, the conference could not proceed because two essential pre trial requirements had not yet been satisfied by the prosecution.
In addition to the incomplete service of summons, the Office of the Special Prosecutor is required to file and serve all disclosure materials on the defence before a case management conference can take place. Although some of these documents have been filed, the prosecution acknowledged that not all had been properly served on defence counsel, thereby preventing the court from moving forward with the conference.
In light of these developments, the prosecution appealed to the court for more time to conclude both the service of summons and the delivery of outstanding disclosures. This, it argued, would ensure that when proceedings resume, the case management conference can be conducted without further procedural obstacles. The court accepted the explanation and adjourned the matter to February 26, expressing the expectation that all outstanding issues would be resolved by that date.
The trial arises from charges filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in November 2025, alleging corruption and related offences against Mr Ofori-Atta and his co accused. The charges are largely connected to contracts awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and other public procurement transactions undertaken over several years.
The accused persons named in the case are Ken Ofori-Atta, Ernest Darko Akore, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Isaac Crentsil, Kwadwo Damoah, Evans Adusei, and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited. Prosecutors allege that the accused collectively caused substantial financial loss to the state through unlawful payments, breaches of procurement laws, and other irregularities linked to government contracts executed between 2018 and 2024.
As the case awaits its next hearing date, attention will remain focused on whether the prosecution can complete the required procedural steps, particularly the international service of summons, to allow the trial to formally move beyond its preliminary stage.
