Government adopts alternative legal routes to return fugitives from abroad

The government has announced a significant shift in its approach to pursuing fugitives, revealing that it is now effectively using alternative lawful mechanisms, alongside traditional extradition processes, to secure the return of high-profile suspects who have fled the country.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 on Saturday, January 10, 2026, the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, disclosed that a major arrest has already been carried out in the United States under this new, discreet cooperation framework.

Dr Srem-Sai said that while public attention often focuses on the lengthy and bureaucratic nature of formal extradition, the state has been working quietly with international partners to achieve quicker results. He confirmed that a suspect who had been at large for an undisclosed period was recently apprehended in the U.S. with the assistance of American authorities.

“I told you that someone who was at large was arrested recently,” he said. “The person was in the United States. The U.S. authorities helped us to arrest this person.”

Although the identity of the suspect was not disclosed, the timing and location of the arrest have fuelled speculation in legal and political circles. The development is being seen as a test case for the government’s new strategy, reinforcing the message that fleeing Ghana does not amount to escaping its laws.

Dr Srem-Sai explained that the government is deliberately distinguishing between formal extradition and other lawful administrative or immigration-based processes that can also lead to the surrender of suspects.

“Extradition is not the only way that a person will be removed from one country and surrendered to another country,” he said. “There is the formal extradition process, and there are other lawful ways of getting a fugitive to come back.”

He also issued a warning to individuals abroad seeking to evade prosecution, stressing that the government remains firmly committed to accountability and will pursue all available legal options to bring fugitives to justice.

The comments come amid heightened public interest following the detention of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the government signalling its readiness to deploy multiple administrative tools, including deportation and immigration measures, to ensure foreign jurisdictions do not become safe havens for suspects evading Ghanaian justice.