内容摘要：He said "running out there in the fresh air" is "a new kind of freedom".

He said "running out there in the fresh air" is "a new kind of freedom".

Ofori-Atta's lawyers had offered to represent him but the state prosecutor said they could not respond to criminal charges on behalf of their client.In February, Ofori-Atta appealed to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to remove his name from the wanted list and provided a definite return date in May.

State prosecutor Kissi Agyabeng accepted Ofori-Atta's assurance and subsequently took his name off the wanted list.But in March Ofori-Atta filed a lawsuit, claiming unlawful treatment and requesting removal of related content from the OSP's social media platforms.Early this month, Ofori-Atta was re-declared a wanted person and a fugitive from justice after failing to appear before an investigative panel.

Agyebeng subsequently formally initiated the Red Notice request, seeking international help in tracking down the former official, local media reported."We want him here physically, and we insist on it. A suspect in a criminal investigation does not pick and choose how the investigative body conducts its investigations," Agyebeng said.

In the Red Notice released on late Thursday, Interpol said Ofori-Atta is wanted on charges of "using public office for profit".

He was finance minister from January 2017 to February 2024, when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in power.Robert Pether, a mechanical engineer, was jailed in 2021 on fraud charges amid a contract dispute between the consulting firm he worked for and the Central Bank of Iraq.

The UN has said the 50-year-old's detention and treatment was illegal, and an international court has ruled his employer is not responsible for the business disagreement.Iraqi officials are yet to provide an explanation for the decision, Mr Pether's wife Desree told the BBC - noting her "extremely sick" husband is still banned from leaving the country despite needing urgent medical care.

The family feels numb with shock, said Mrs Pether, who has been tirelessly lobbying for this moment."It's the first time in over four years that we've taken one step in the right direction."