Government has signalled a major shift in its strategy to bring fugitives to justice, revealing that it is now successfully utilising “alternative lawful mechanisms” alongside traditional extradition to secure the return of high-profile suspects hiding abroad.
Speaking in an interview on TV3 on Saturday, January 10, 2026, the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, disclosed that a significant arrest has already been made on American soil under this new, discreet cooperation framework.
While public and media attention has been fixated on the lengthy and often bureaucratic process of formal extradition, Dr. Srem-Sai revealed that the state has been working “under the radar” with international partners to secure immediate results.
He confirmed that a suspect, who had been “at large” for an undisclosed period, was recently apprehended in the United States.
“I told you that someone who was at large was arrested recently,” Dr. Srem-Sai noted. “The person was in the United States. The U.S. authorities helped us to arrest this person.”
Although the Deputy Attorney-General did not disclose the identity of the individual, the timing and location of the arrest have sparked intense speculation in legal and political circles. The arrest marks a “proof of concept” for the ministry’s new stance, which is that escaping Ghana’s borders no longer equates to escaping its laws.
Dr. Srem-Sai’s comments were designed to dispel the notion that fugitives can hide behind the years of litigation often associated with extradition treaties.
He explained that the state is now drawing a “clear line” between formal extradition and other administrative or immigration-based pathways that can result in the same outcome: the surrender of a suspect.
“Extradition is not the only way that a person will be removed from one country and surrendered to another country,” he stated. “We need to draw two lines here. The formal one is the extradition process, and there are other lawful ways of getting a fugitive to come back.”
The Deputy Attorney-General used the platform to issue a warning to other officials and individuals currently residing abroad to avoid prosecution.
He emphasised that the government’s commitment to accountability is absolute and that no resource is being spared in the pursuit of those who have fled.
“We have been doing our best to ensure that anyone who has run away from accountability is brought back,” he reiterated.
The revelation comes at a sensitive time, as the state is also navigating the high-profile detention of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Dr. Srem-Sai’s insistence on “multiple legal pathways” suggests that the government is prepared to use every administrative tool at its disposal—from visa revocations to deportation orders—to ensure that foreign soil remains a hostile environment for those evading Ghanaian justice.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
