The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has officially initiated another request
for an INTERPOL Red Notice targeting former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, which could lead to his international arrest and extradition on suspicion of corruption. Announced during a press conference in Accra on Monday, June 2, this step follows Ofori-Atta’s repeated failure to respond to invitations from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for questioning related to ongoing probes.
Among the five cases referenced by the OSP is the contentious procurement of 307 ambulances under the Ministry of Health. That contract was awarded to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited (SGAGL) for both the purchase and maintenance of the ambulances. Questions have arisen regarding whether the OSP is shielding other key actors involved in the transaction, particularly since the procurement was overseen by former Minister for Special Development Initiatives Mavis Hawa Koomson, ex-Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, and Ofori-Atta himself, who authorized certain payments.
Adding to the controversy, President Akufo-Addo’s daughters—Gyankroma and Edwina Akufo-Addo—were listed as business partners in SGAGL alongside Ousman Inusah, Kalilu Dauda, Mohammed Nurulhaq, Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, and Samuel Bannerman. Investigations uncovered numerous irregularities, including significant price inflation and scant due diligence on both the company and its directors. For instance, one SGAGL director, Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, had previously served a three-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom for fraud.
It remains uncertain whether the OSP has summoned all implicated individuals—aside from Ofori-Atta—as part of its inquiry. The Herald’s own examination of the ambulance deal revealed that Koomson initially quoted US\$133,000 per unit, totaling US\$40.8 million, but later testified before Parliament in 2021 that each ambulance cost US\$177,000, amounting to US\$54.3 million. Ofori-Atta is also alleged to have approved an additional US\$20 million for spare parts. In a separate inquiry, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa claimed that between 2020 and 2023, Ofori-Atta and Agyemang-Manu signed off on an extra US\$34.9 million for SGAGL’s maintenance services. Ablakwa further revealed that SGAGL received GH¢653 million from the government—more than twice the original procurement cost—between 2020 and 2023.
SGAGL itself consisted of seven entities—Luxury World Auto Group Limited, Elok Consult, RDC Company Limited, Beft Engineering Works Limited, Prestige Era Company Limited, Bluemix Company Limited, and Quality Supply and Builders Company Limited—all of which submitted different quotes for ambulances of identical make and specifications. Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, CEO of Luxury World Auto Group, stood at the center of another scandal when police confirmed he forged a proforma invoice from UAE-based Al Amani Spare Parts LLC, inflating its value from US\$130,910 to US\$189,982. Charged and processed for court, he initially failed to meet bail conditions and remained in police custody. Oppong-Kyekyeku also forged his company’s letterhead and used the altered invoice to process official procurement transactions, including one routed through Fidelity Bank. The Ministry of Trade and Industry later issued an Import Declaration Form based on the falsified document.
Notably, Oppong-Kyekyeku had been convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court in the UK in 2010 for producing fake invoices totaling £245,000, receiving a three-year prison sentence and an eight-year ban from serving as a company director. Despite this history, he continued to secure contracts under the Akufo-Addo administration, with little indication that thorough background checks had been conducted. Legal correspondence dated January 13, 2021, from Paintsil, Paintsil & Co confirmed his prior conviction and imprisonment in the UK.
Several other SGAGL directors—Ousman Inusah, Kalilu Dauda, and Mohammed Nurulhaq—are reportedly untraceable, while Samuel Bannerman is believed to be deceased. Even Dr. Christian Siaw-Mensah, once named as SGAGL’s Managing Director, has gone missing. Despite the severity of these allegations, the full extent of the OSP’s investigation into these individuals’ roles remains unclear, fueling public concern that politically connected figures may be evading accountability.
In Parliament, Ablakwa has characterized the SGAGL transactions as a “scandalous send-off package” for Ofori-Atta and Agyemang-Manu, accusing them of masking extravagant government spending as legitimate procurement. Further rumors allege that one of President Akufo-Addo’s daughters had a love child with a director of SGAGL, though these claims have not been independently verified.
Looking ahead, Ofori-Atta is expected to face queries on several additional matters: the Petroleum and Minerals Revenue Assurance contracts between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); the termination of the Electricity Company of Ghana’s contract with Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC); procurement procedures and financial transactions related to the National Cathedral Project; and the GRA Tax P-Fund Management transaction, specifically regarding his handling and disbursement of funds from the GRA’s Tax
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