The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has permanently deleted the Red Notice issued against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta after ruling the alert was predominantly political in character.
Lawyers for Ofori-Atta announced Friday that the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) determined during its 135th Session on February 4 that the notice violated the organisation’s rules and should be removed from INTERPOL’s information system.
The law firm Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners issued a statement signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo confirming that CCF notified their client of the decision on February 13.
The commission stated that after thorough examination, data submitted by INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau of Ghana were not compliant with INTERPOL’s rules, according to the statement. The deletion is permanent and cannot be reissued through INTERPOL channels.
INTERPOL placed Ofori-Atta on a Red Notice alert on June 5, 2025, at the request of Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). The international police body suspended the notice in November 2025 pending internal investigations into its issuance.
Red Notices are international alerts requesting law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest wanted persons pending extradition. INTERPOL’s Constitution, particularly Article 3, prohibits the organisation from undertaking interventions of a political character.
The CCF referenced polarised political statements from members of current and former administrations relating to conduct of investigations as contextual factors influencing the decision, according to separate statements from the OSP.
Ofori-Atta remains in custody at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia following his January 6 detention by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A federal judge on January 20 declined to rule on his bail application, directing the government to produce evidence of Ghana’s extradition request by February 19.
Judge David Gardey adjourned proceedings until April 27 for further hearing on both the bail application and any documentation the government may file. The United States State Department revoked Ofori-Atta’s visa in 2025, triggering the federal enforcement action.
Ghana’s Attorney General Dominic Ayine confirmed in December 2025 that a formal extradition package had been transmitted to the United States Department of Justice through diplomatic channels. Ofori-Atta faces 78 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences relating to contracts awarded during his tenure as Finance Minister under former President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The deletion of the Red Notice effectively grants Ofori-Atta unrestricted international travel and significantly complicates Ghana’s efforts to secure his physical presence through international cooperation. The ruling represents a setback for the OSP, which sought the international alert as part of efforts to secure Ofori-Atta’s return to Ghana.
The OSP confirmed receiving the CCF decision and noted that subsequent developments rendered the Red Notice unnecessary. Summons issued by the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra have been transmitted for service in the United States requiring Ofori-Atta to appear to answer criminal charges.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister for seven years during a period when Ghana’s debt reached over 600 billion cedis and required a three billion United States dollar International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. The charges relate to alleged corruption in multiple government contracts including a 125 million cedis contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited.
The former minister traveled to the United States in January 2025 for medical treatment and underwent a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in June 2025. His legal team argues that continued incarceration poses severe risks to his recovery and medical observation.
