The High Court in Accra has adjourned the case involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and seven others to December 17, 2025, after declining a prosecution request for a bench warrant against the sixth accused, Kwadwo Damoah.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had urged the court to issue a warrant for Damoah’s arrest, arguing that he had been properly served with a hearing notice but failed to appear.

But Damoah’s lawyers opposed the application, insisting that the attempted service was unlawful. 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 argued that Damoah, a sitting MP, was “ambushed” with the notice while returning from Parliament on December 9.

After examining the proof of service, the judge held that although an attempt was made, Damoah was protected by parliamentary immunity at the time, as Parliament was in session on that day. The court noted that a presumption existed that the MP was attending to parliamentary duties, and the prosecution failed to provide evidence to rebut it.

The court therefore ruled the service invalid, declined to issue the bench warrant, and directed Damoah to appear and take his plea at the next sitting.

Ofori-Atta and the other accused persons are facing charges including influencing the procurement process 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.