Lawyer and Senior Vice President of IMANI-Africa, Kofi Bentil, has cautioned that the approach taken by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in prosecuting former Finance Minister Ken Ofori‑Atta may inadvertently strengthen the defence’s position.

Speaking on the ongoing extradition efforts by the state to extract the former minister from the USA, Mr Bentil argued that the sheer volume of 78 charges, coupled with certain prosecutorial strategies, could soften the grounds for conviction.

He warned that such tactics might ultimately benefit Mr Ofori‑Atta, potentially allowing him to evade accountability.

"My judgment is that giving the way this case has gone, the persons who are prosecuting this case have made a series of bad decisions which will inure to Ken's benefit, and one of those bad decisions includes how they have managed this process and also the fact that you are dealing with 78 charges."

Mr Bentil insist that "I think the strategies will lead to Ken walking freely," adding, "the way this case has gone will make Ken Ofori-Atta go free."

The former minister and several others face a broad spectrum of allegations relating to the controversial dealings with Strategic Mobilisation Limited.

The OSP has since handed over the docket to the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice. On Thursday, the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine has announced that the government has formally submitted a request to the United States authorities for the extradition of the former minister and one of the accused persons, Ernest Darko Akore, to face the 78 corruption-related charges brought by the OSP.