Criminal Trial of Former Finance Minister Ofori-Atta and SML Adjourned to July 30
An Accra High Court has adjourned the criminal case involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited, and six other accused persons to July 30, 2026, as the court awaits rulings from higher courts that could affect the proceedings.
The case, which involves 78 charges including alleged procurement breaches and causing financial loss to the State amounting to GH¢1.4 billion, was adjourned after the Office of the Special Prosecutor informed the court that related proceedings at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court could have a bearing on how the trial is conducted.
Appellate Court Proceedings
A representative of the OSP recalled that the High Court had previously declined an application for a stay of execution. That decision has since been challenged at the Court of Appeal. Separately, accused person Noah Ephraim Adamtey has filed an application for certiorari at the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the OSPs prosecutorial authority, a question that, if resolved in the defences favour, could fundamentally alter the trajectory of the case.
Defence counsel urged the court to exercise its discretionary powers under Section 169 of Act 30 and proposed October 8, 2026, as the next date, arguing that the Supreme Courts decision would likely be delivered by then. The trial judge, however, set the hearing for July 30.
The Accused and the Charges
The OSP filed the charges and arraigned the accused persons before the High Court on November 18, 2025. In addition to Mr Ofori-Atta and SML, those standing trial include Ernest Darko Akore, former Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Finance; Emmanuel Kofi Nti and Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah, both former Commissioners-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority; Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoah, both former Commissioners of the Customs Division; and Evans Adusei, the Chief Executive Officer of SML.
The charges span conspiracy to commit procurement fraud, causing financial loss to the State, use of public office for profit, wilful oppression, and entering into agreements imposing financial commitments on the Government beyond a single financial year without prior parliamentary authorisation. All accused persons have denied the charges and are on bail.
A Case of National Significance
The SML case is one of the most financially significant prosecutions in recent Ghanaian legal history. The outcome is expected to have far-reaching implications for accountability in public procurement and revenue mobilisation, and it will test the institutional capacity of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to pursue complex financial crimes against powerful political figures.
Image Source: GHANA BUSINESS NEWS
