Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is scheduled to undergo surgery on June 13, 2025, at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
The diagnosis and treatment plan were detailed in a medical letter from the clinic’s Department of Urology, which was published by Asaase Radio—an outlet linked to his relative and former lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
The letter, reportedly authored by Dr. Paras Shah of the Mayo Clinic, outlined that the diagnosis followed a series of tests, including MRI scans and a biopsy. It also stated that Mr. Ofori-Atta would require time to recover after the surgery before being fit to travel back to Ghana.
However, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) responded in a press release, asserting that it had not received any certified medical records or official documentation from a hospital confirming that Mr. Ofori-Atta is medically unfit to return to Ghana.
The development comes amid heightened legal tensions between the former minister and the OSP. The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, recently declared Ofori-Atta a wanted person after he failed to appear for questioning in an ongoing investigation. During a press conference on Monday, June 2, 2025, Agyebeng confirmed that Ofori-Atta’s lawyers had informed the OSP in a letter dated May 28 about the diagnosis and the upcoming surgery, noting it would delay his return to Ghana.
“By a letter dated 28 May 2025, Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyer informed the Special Prosecutor that a medical expert has diagnosed Mr Ofori-Atta with cancer and has earmarked 13 June 2025 for treatment, for which reason he will be unable to return to the jurisdiction as scheduled,” Mr Agyebeng told journalists.
