Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has explained that Ghana cannot formally request the extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from the United States until a solid legal case is built and charges are filed.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, Dr Ayine stressed that extradition processes, particularly with the U.S., require comprehensive documentation, including formal charges, before a request can be made.

“When doing extradition, you cannot request unless you have a solid case — a docket that has been built. And in the case of the Americans, the practice is for you to have filed charges,” he said.

Dr Ayine cited a previous case involving Kojo Boateng, in which the U.S. Department of Justice submitted a full bill of indictment detailing charges and supporting facts after a six-year investigation before Ghana acted on the request.

He explained that the Attorney General’s Office is currently waiting for the appropriate docket from the relevant investigative bodies before taking the next legal steps.

“Without a docket, we cannot make the request. So we are still waiting for the docket. That is all I can say for now,” he added.

Dr Ayine also clarified that while the Office of the Special Prosecutor has made statements regarding the matter, his office must adhere to due process in line with international extradition procedures.

“I respect the autonomy of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, but we in the Attorney General’s Department cannot begin an extradition request with a bare letter. We need the evidence to be able to do so,” he noted.

The development comes amid heightened public interest in ongoing investigations involving the former Finance Minister.

The Attorney General assured that the formal processes have begun and the government will act once the required evidence is available.