Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Ansah Opoku, has criticized the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for declaring former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta a fugitive, arguing that the prosecution process has not reached a stage that warrants such a declaration.
The OSP officially declared Ofori-Atta a fugitive on Wednesday, February 12, a day after armed men in military uniforms raided his residence on Tuesday, February 11. At the time of the raid, the former minister was reportedly out of the country on a medical trip to the United States.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, the Mpraeso lawmaker insisted that Ofori-Atta had duly informed the OSP and relevant state investigative bodies about his travel plans.
He challenged the basis of the declaration, stating that a fugitive is someone who has escaped from prison and is at large.
Opoku further emphasized that the former finance minister has not been convicted or classified as a criminal on the run, making the OSP’s actions premature and unjustified.
“Mr Ken Ofori-Atta was declared a fugitive. We all know a fugitive is someone who has escaped from custody and is on the run and of course Ken Ofori-Atta has not gotten to that stage. Our choice of words is critical at this stage.
“Our laws are very clear if you look at Chapter 5 of our constitution, you cannot say he is a criminal until a competent court of jurisdiction has held him responsible for some wrongdoing,” he stated.
Source: Channel1news
