The corruption trial involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is scheduled to resume on Thursday, August 27, 2026, after the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The OSP announced the resumption of proceedings in a Facebook post on Monday, August 10, bringing an end to months of uncertainty over several corruption cases before the anti-graft agency.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision settled legal questions surrounding the OSP’s powers to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences. Proceedings in a number of cases had been suspended since April 2026 following a High Court ruling that raised questions about the extent of the OSP’s prosecutorial authority and whether prior authorisation was required before prosecutions could be initiated.
Mr Ofori-Atta is facing 28 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences arising from investigations into revenue assurance contracts between Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The OSP initially charged the former minister and seven other individuals with 78 counts in November 2025. The charges were subsequently amended, resulting in Mr Ofori-Atta facing 28 counts, while the other accused persons face separate charges linked to the case.
Those standing trial alongside him include former GRA Commissioners-General Emmanuel Kofi Nti and Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah; former Customs Commissioner Isaac Crentsil; former Customs Commissioner Kwadwo Damoah; SML Chief Executive Officer Evans Adusei; and former Chief of Cabinet Ernest Darko Akore.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons engaged in various acts of corruption and corruption-related offences connected to the SML-GRA revenue assurance arrangements.
The former Finance Minister’s legal position has also attracted attention following his acquisition of permanent residency in the United States. His lawyers announced in June 2026 that a US Immigration Court had approved his application for adjustment of status, paving the way for him to obtain a Green Card.
The OSP, however, has rejected suggestions that the US immigration decision has any bearing on the merits of the criminal case pending in Ghana.
