Award-winning investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has renewed public attention on Ernest Akore, one of the accused persons in the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) scandal.
Ernest Akore, together with former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and six others, has been charged with 78 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in connection with the SML revenue assurance contract and related matters.
Although the Government of Ghana has reportedly submitted an extradition request for Ernest Akore Darko, who served as Chef de Cabinet to Ken Ofori-Atta, little public attention has been paid to developments regarding his case.
In a publication, Manasseh argued that while public focus on Ofori-Atta is understandable, the case involving Ernest Akore also deserves scrutiny.
According to the journalist, Akore is believed to be in the United States and to hold both American and Ghanaian passports, a situation he suggested could complicate any efforts to return him to Ghana.
“Unlike Ken Ofori-Atta, whose legal status in the United States has expired, Ernest Akore did not need a visa to travel to the United States three weeks before the 2024 election. He holds a U.S. passport in addition to his Ghanaian passport. This may make his return to Ghana harder,” Manasseh wrote.
He further claimed that Akore travelled from Ghana to New York on November 19, 2024, aboard Delta Airlines Flight 156 using a 10-year U.S. passport issued in August 2021 and valid until August 2031.
Manasseh also disclosed that Akore holds a Ghanaian passport issued in Accra in January 2020.
The investigative journalist went on to highlight some of the charges filed against Akore by the OSP.
According to him, the charges include conspiracy to commit the offence of causing financial loss to the Republic, conspiracy to commit wilful oppression, and conspiracy to improperly influence the public procurement process to gain unfair advantage in the award of contracts.
The SML case remains one of the most high-profile corruption investigations currently being pursued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, with authorities seeking the return of some accused persons believed to be outside Ghana.
