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The High Court in Accra has adjourned the trial involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and seven others to December 17, 2025, to allow the 6th accused person, Kwadwo Damoah, to appear and take his plea.
This follows the court’s decision on Thursday to reject a request from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for a bench warrant for Damoah’s arrest.
The OSP argued that the accused had been duly served with a hearing notice but failed to show up in court. Lawyers for Damoah, however, challenged the attempted service, describing it as unconstitutional.
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They cited Article 117 of the 1992 Constitution, which grants Members of Parliament immunity from service of court processes when attending Parliament or returning from parliamentary business. Counsel told the court that Damoah, a sitting MP, was “ambushed” with the court notice while returning from Parliament on December 9.
After reviewing the proof of service, the judge found that although an attempt was made, the MP was protected by parliamentary immunity since Parliament was in session on the date in question. The court ruled that a presumption existed that Damoah was engaged in parliamentary duties, and the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to overturn that presumption.
As a result, the court declared the service invalid and refused to issue the bench warrant, instead directing that Damoah appear at the next sitting to take his plea.
All eight accused persons, including Ofori-Atta, are facing charges of influencing procurement for unfair advantage, causing financial loss to the state, and using public office for profit.
The charges stem from contracts awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) beginning in 2017.
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