The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has completely and permanently removed from its website a Red Notice alert it issued against the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, at the request of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
In November 2025, INTERPOL decided to suspend the Red Notice Alert, pending its internal investigations into the process used by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to procure its issuance.
INTERPOL’s decision to permanently remove the Red Notice alert followed investigations into the circumstances that led to the OSP’s request for its issuance when there were no charges against Ken Ofori-Atta in any Ghanaian court.
Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers are on record as having complained to INTERPOL that the OSP dubiously submitted the Red Notice in breach of INTERPOL’s constitution and regulations.
Permanent Removal
The latest INTERPOL decision is contained in a public notice issued today, Friday, 13 February 2026, by lawyers for Ofori-Atta in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners (MPOBB), signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo Esq.
“We are pleased to announce that, today, 13 February 2026, the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) has notified Kenneth Ofori-Atta that on February 4, 2026, during its 135th Session, it determined that the Red Notice issued against Mr. Ofori-Atta “appears of a predominantly political character” AND is non- compliant with INTERPOL’s rules, and shall be deleted from INTERPOL’s files permanently,” the public notice read.
“Specifically, CCF stated that: “After a thorough examination of the elements before it, the commission found that the challenged data registered by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) of Ghana were not compliant with INTERPOL’s rules and decided that they should be deleted from the INTERPOL information system,” the public notice further read.
Notice Issued
INTERPOL, at the request of the OSP, placed Ken Ofori-Atta on a Red Notice alert on its website on 5 June 2025. At the time, the OSP had not charged Ofori-Atta with any offence.
Once the OSP announced the charges on 18 November 2025, INTERPOL immediately removed the posting from its website because the OSP, by filing the charges, had confirmed the complaints from Ken 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.
Previous Family Reaction
“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 previously stated.
“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 explain why it has happened in a press briefing, but he has chosen silence.”
“We will not speculate as to why, but we see this as a significant development that speaks to the adherence of international bodies to their 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.
Red Notice
A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. 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.
Most 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.
Present Situation
Ken Ofori-Atta is currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States of America following an immigration hearing held on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, pending further proceedings on his bail application.
The hearing was conducted in private at the request of Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team, who applied for bail on his behalf. The state opposed the application, arguing that bail should be refused because Ghana has submitted an extradition request for the former Finance Minister.
Judge David A Gardey adjourned the US Immigration case against Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta to 1 pm on Thursday 27 April, but the government has been given until 19 February 2026 to provide evidence of the extradition proceedings.
The presiding judge declined to rule on the extradition argument at this stage, noting that no documentary evidence had been placed before the tribunal to substantiate the claim that Ofori-Atta is currently the subject of extradition proceedings.
In his ruling, the judge directed the federal government to produce evidence of any such extradition application on or before 19 February 2026.
The tribunal will reconvene at the end of that period to hear the bail application alongside any documentation the government may file and will then deliver a substantive ruling. Until then, Ken Ofori-Atta will remain in ICE detention.
Detention
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States of America (USA) detained the former Finance Minister on 6 January 2026. Lawyers for Ofori-Atta in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners (MPOBB), made the announcement in a public notice.
The public notice from MPOBB, issued on 7 January and signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, Esq, noted that the detention resulted from challenges regarding the status of Ken Ofori-Atta’s continued stay in the United States.
“The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as of [6 January 2026], detained the former Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, regarding the status of his current stay in the United States. His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously.
“Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorises a person to stay in the US legally past the period of validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common,” the public notice by MPOBB said.
“The public is, therefore, advised to note that he is a law-abiding person and is fully cooperating with ICE to have this issue resolved. His legal team is in contact with ICE and working to resolve the matter as expeditiously as possible,” the notice from Ofori-Atta’s lawyers further said.
According to the official website of the US Department of Homeland Security, Ofori-Atta is in ICE custody at the Caroline Detention Facility located at 11093 SW Lewis Memorial Drive, Bowling Green, VA 22427.
Health Issues
Ken Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2025 for medical treatment. He had surgery in the US following a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
The procedure, a radical prostatectomy, took place on 13 June 2025 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Medical sources described the surgery as a crucial step after recent tests revealed signs of the cancer’s progression.
Doctors reportedly confirmed the diagnosis in March 2025 after MRI scans and a biopsy detected an increased spread of cancer cells.
Ofori-Atta had been receiving treatment and undergoing monitoring in the US for several weeks before the operation, sources close to the family said.
He had also been managing post-COVID multi-system inflammatory response syndrome, initially diagnosed in February 2021 – a condition that has required constant medical oversight.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2023, playing a key role in the country’s economic management during a turbulent period that included the COVID-19 pandemic and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor charged him and others with corruption and corruption-related offences. The trial is at the case management conference stage.
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