Austin Brako-Powers, a Private Legal Practitioner, has confidently stated that the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, will not be successful in extraditing former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghana.
According to Austin Brako-Powers, the Attorney General’s prejudicial public commentaries on the matter are one of the factors that will truncate the extradition process before the US authorities.
Speaking in an interview on TV3 New Day’s The Big Issue, Friday, December 19, 2025, Austin Brako-Powers explained, “I am saying that the Attorney-General will not be successful in extraditing Ken Ofori-Atta to this country. I am saying that, and you well-articulated the US Secretary of State within ultimate discretion deciding whether or not to surrender a fugitive.
“I am saying that based on the public commentaries of the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor, they will not, mark it, they will not be able to extradite Ken Ofori-Atta,” he stated.
He added, “I shudder to say the A-G will struggle to extradite Ken Ofori-Atta to this country. This is a high-profile extradition case involving a former finance minister, in fact, a central figure in the previous administration.
“Ordinarily, this case will attract significant and intense attention in the US, and key questions like the motive, prosecutorial fairness and political neutrality will come in. And compounding these challenges are the persistent prejudicial public commentaries by the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor on this very matter. Such remarks risk undermining Ghana’s credibility as a requesting state,” he added.
When quizzed about any comment made by the AG which he deems prejudicial, he stated, “When you organize press conference, and you conclude that you have evidence connecting someone to criminal activities and that on that basis you are confident that you will secure a conviction, the person will be jailed. That is prejudicial.”
His comments follow, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, the Attorney General, who has announced that the former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has hired top US lawyers to fight his extradition process to Ghana.
According to Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, the lawyers hired by Ken Ofori-Atta do not daunt him, and he knows there is going to be a fight in the federal courts in the US.
He revealed that the requirement for the extradition request to be tried in courts may delay the return of Ofori-Atta to Ghana, which makes it difficult to give a potential date.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the Attorney General stated, “I just got to know yesterday that he has hired some of the top lawyers in the United States of America, very experienced lawyers to defend him. Now, I’m not afraid at all, I am not afraid at all. But it means that there is going to be a fight in the federal courts in the US.
“If the district court says ‘no’, he will go to the circuit court, all right? If the Circuit Court says ‘no’, he is entitled to go to the US Supreme Court to fight his case.”
He added, “So, I cannot tell you that he will come tomorrow or he will come the next day. And I’m just being honest. Accounting to the people means being explicit and truthful. So this is what I mean, we are faced with.”
He further revealed that he has formally transmitted a request for the extradition of Ken Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Akore, from the United States.
He added, “I have, on behalf of the Government of His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, taken the requisite steps to bring him to Ghana to face trial. And if I were him, this is his home; he should just join the next flight and come here.
“Under my watch, he will not be treated unfairly. You know, he will go through due process and be prosecuted, just like any other person, just like Kwabena Adu-Boahene, or Hanan (Abdul-Wahab Aludiba), or any of the persons that we have filed charges against,” he said.