Attorney General and Justice Minister Dr. Dominic Ayine has explained that until the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) completes a strong case supported by formal charges and evidence, Ghana cannot move forward with an extradition request for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from the United States.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, Dr. Ayine clarified that rigorous adherence to legal procedures and documentation is necessary for international extradition, particularly when the United States is involved.
“When doing extradition, you cannot request unless you have a solid case, a docket that has been built. And in the case of the Americans, the practice is for you to have filed charges,” he said.
Dr. Ayine pointed out that his office has not yet received the case file from the OSP that is required to start the official procedure.
“Without a docket, we cannot make the request. So we are still waiting for the docket. That is all I can say for now,” he continued.
Although his department works closely with the OSP, the Attorney General stressed that the law requires that extradition requests be backed up by concrete evidence and proven charges, not just letters.
“I respect the autonomy of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, but we in the Attorney General’s Department cannot begin an extradition request with a bare letter. We need the evidence to be able to do so,” Dr. Ayine reaffirmed.
Source: newsthemegh.com