The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has removed from its website a red notice alert it issued against former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
INTERPOL issued the alert earlier this year at the request of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after it declared Ofori-Atta a fugitive. The decision to remove the red notice alert followed investigations into the circumstances that led to the OSP’s request, particularly since no charges existed against Ofori-Atta at the time.
Lawyers representing Ken Ofori-Atta are on record as having complained to INTERPOL that the OSP dubiously submitted the request in breach of INTERPOL’s constitution and regulations. INTERPOL placed Ofori-Atta on a red notice alert on its website on June 5, 2025, when the OSP had not yet charged him for any offence.
The OSP itself had indicated at various press conferences that the office required Ofori-Atta to appear before it in person to assist with an ongoing investigation. Once the OSP announced charges yesterday, November 18, 2025, INTERPOL immediately removed the posting from its website. The filing of charges confirmed the complaints from Ofori-Atta’s lawyers to INTERPOL.
For almost a year now, the OSP has been running a media campaign against Ofori-Atta, declaring him a fugitive, holding repeated press conferences, and even pursuing a Red Notice from INTERPOL, all before bringing a single charge against him. “We are pleased that, finally, the issues will move from the court of public opinion to an actual courtroom where evidence, not headlines, is king,” a spokesperson for the Ofori-Atta family said.
“As of today, the red notice against Mr Ofori-Atta no longer appears on INTERPOL’s website. One would have expected the camera-hungry Special Prosecutor to have explained why it has happened by a press briefing but he has chosen silence,” the spokesperson added.
“We will not speculate as to why, but we see this as a significant development that speaks to the adherence of international bodies to its constitution. We have always believed the OSP violated INTERPOL’s constitution and regulations and abused the INTERPOL notice system just as it did with the local Arrest Warrant,” the family spokesperson further stated.
A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. However, a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. The individuals are wanted by the requesting member country, or international tribunal. Member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.
The majority of Red Notices are restricted to law enforcement use only. Extracts of Red Notices are published at the request of the member country concerned and where the public’s help may be needed to locate an individual or if the individual may pose a threat to public safety.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
