The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has taken down from its website a Red Notice that had been issued for former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The alert was requested earlier this year by Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which had declared Mr Ofori-Atta a fugitive. However, INTERPOL removed the notice after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the request and finding that no charges had been filed against him at the time it was issued.
Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyers had petitioned INTERPOL, arguing that the OSP had improperly sought the Red Notice in violation of INTERPOL’s rules and constitution.
The alert was published on 5 June 2025 even though the OSP had not charged Mr Ofori-Atta with any offence. The OSP had publicly stated that it only needed him to appear in person to assist with an investigation.
When the OSP finally announced charges on 18 November 2025, INTERPOL immediately withdrew the notice. Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team says this action confirms their concerns about how the request was handled.
For nearly a year, the OSP has repeatedly described Mr Ofori-Atta as a fugitive, held several press briefings about him, and pursued a Red Notice long before filing any charges.
A spokesperson for the Ofori-Atta family welcomed the removal of the notice while confirming the development to a local radio station.
“We are relieved that this matter will now be dealt with in court, where evidence not headlines will take precedence. As of today, the Red Notice no longer appears on INTERPOL’s website. One might have expected the Special Prosecutor to explain why, but instead there is silence.”
The spokesperson added that they believe the removal shows INTERPOL’s commitment to its own rules: “We have always maintained that the OSP misused INTERPOL’s notice system, just as it did with the local arrest warrant.”
A Red Notice is a request sent to police agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally detain a person pending extradition or similar legal steps. It is not an international arrest warrant, and each member country decides whether to act on it under its own laws. Most Red Notices are for law enforcement use only, though public versions can be published when a member country requests assistance in locating a suspect or warns that the person may pose a risk to public safety.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has clarified reports suggesting that INTERPOL has withdrawn the Red Notice issued for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, stating that the matter is still being examined by INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of Files.
In a public statement released on Wednesday, 19 November, the OSP explained that in October, the Commission informed Ghanaian authorities that Mr Ofori-Atta had formally requested the removal of his name from the Red Notice.
According to the OSP, Ghana submitted its official response to INTERPOL on 22 October 2025, and the review process remains ongoing.
Mr Ofori-Atta, 66, who was Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024, has been named in several investigations. These include alleged irregularities in contracts between Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as claims of corruption linked to the National Cathedral project and the procurement of ambulances for the National Ambulance Service.
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