Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has shared his perspective regarding the Interpol Red Notice issued against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, asserting that the wanted man’s failure to be candid with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) unequivocally justifies his placement on the international fugitive list.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show today, June 10, Mr. Kpebu admitted to having initially disagreed with the OSP's first Red Notice against Ofori-Atta.

However, after careful analysis, he deems it justified.

"When [Ofori-Atta] was leaving this country, he gave notice to various officers, so I disagreed," Mr. Kpebu recalled. "But this second one, the way it is... he deserves to be there”.

His change of heart stems from what he describes as a critical lack of transparency from the former finance minister regarding his medical appointments.

Mr. Kpebu highlighted a significant discrepancy in Mr. Ofori-Atta's communication with the OSP.

He noted that Mr. Ofori-Atta had initially presented his March 2021 medical appointment as a "big surgery that requires so much attention."

However, it later became apparent that the procedure was, in fact, a "simple diagnostic procedure," specifically an MRI-guided biopsy.

The core of Mr. Kpebu's argument lies in Mr. Ofori-Atta's subsequent silence.

"Why did he keep quiet? Why didn't he reach out to the OSP that oh, it wasn't a major surgery after all?" Mr. Kpebu questioned, emphasising that this "failure to reach out is very material; it totally erodes all honesty from engagement with the OSP."

He condemned this approach, stating, "What kind of shambolic way of dealing with the OSP is it?"

Mr. Kpebu acknowledged that the Interpol Commission for the Control of Files (CCF), an independent body within Interpol, exercises discretion based on "all the facts" when considering such notices.

In his view, Mr. Ofori-Atta's failure to provide accurate and updated information constitutes a crucial fact that would make it difficult for Interpol to decline the Red Notice.

The former finance minister remains out of the country, reportedly for medical reasons, amidst an ongoing investigation by the OSP.

Mr. Kpebu's outspoken position provides a significant legal perspective that directly challenges any claims of unfair targeting from Ofori-Atta's camp, shifting the focus onto the transparency and communication from the former minister himself.