Ghana has initiated international legal action through INTERPOL to pursue the arrest of a Russian national accused of sexually exploiting several Ghanaian women.
Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam George, disclosed that the action was taken in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
According to the Minister, the move is intended to ensure that the suspect can be apprehended and made to face justice should he travel outside the Russian Federation.
“Working with the Ghana Police CID, we have activated international legal action through INTERPOL to ensure that once the individual sets foot outside Russia, we have a legal route to make him answer for his actions within Ghana,” the Minister stated.
The development follows formal complaints allegedly lodged by several women with the CID over alleged non-consensual recording and sexual exploitation involving a Russian national identified as Vladislav Luilkov.
Authorities say the complaints are being processed in collaboration with relevant state agencies as part of efforts to escalate the matter internationally.
Government officials confirmed that the absence of a binding extradition treaty between Ghana and Russia complicates direct extradition efforts, prompting the decision to seek international legal mechanisms.
In a related development, the Russian Ambassador to Ghana, Sergei Berdnikov, met with Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to discuss the matter.
During the meeting, the Ambassador reportedly indicated that the name circulating publicly is not a known Russian name but rather resembles an inappropriate or vulgar expression in the Russian language.
Earlier, Minister Sam George, together with Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Naa Momo Lartey, engaged the Russian envoy to present information available to the government concerning the allegations.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that Section 67 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), which addresses unlawful intimate image distribution and related cyber offences, is fully enforced.
Officials acknowledged that while the alleged harm has already occurred, the government remains determined to pursue all available legal avenues to secure accountability and deter similar incidents in the future.
Authorities say investigations remain ongoing.
