Ghana’s embattled former Finance Minister has been arrested and detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over his stay in the country.

This was confirmed by his lawyers in a public statement shared yesterday, December 7, detailing the circumstances leading to his arrest.

They explained that, “The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as of yesterday, detained the former Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, regarding the status of his current stay in the United States. His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously.”

Ken Ofori-Atta left Ghana for the United States on January 4, 2025, according to investigative reporting detailing his departure timeline and visa use. As of today, January 8, 2026, that places his time in the U.S. at approximately 1 year and 4 days, following which he has been detained.

While his lawyers didn’t explicitly state whether he had overstayed his visa time, they noted that “Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorises a person to stay in the US legally past the period of validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common.”

His lawyers stressed that their client was a law-abiding individual and had cooperated with the authorities to resolve the issue.

“The Public is therefore advised to note that Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, as a law-abiding person, is fully cooperating with ICE to have this issue resolved. Bruce Towers, 3 Enmanuto 20 Labone, Accra P. O. Box 14951, Accra, Ghana TEL: +233 (0)302 781624 alafo.atcra@mpb.com.”

He was reported to have moved to the USA to seek medical care after suffering from post-COVID Multi-System Inflammatory Response Syndrome, diagnosed in 2021, requiring continued medical supervision.

He has been receiving treatment for prostate cancer and previously underwent a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, following medical evaluations earlier in the year.

This comes amid a legal tussle involving Ofori-Atta. The Special Prosecutor, for about eight months, has been making efforts to bring him to Ghana to face the law over some corruption-related issues.

Ofori-Atta, who served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2023, steered fiscal policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, debt restructuring efforts and IMF negotiations.

His extended stay in the U.S. has coincided with ongoing legal proceedings in Ghana, including corruption-related charges filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in November 2025, currently at the case-management stage.

The Attorney-General (A-G), Dr. Dominic Ayine, would have a difficult time in getting former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta back in Ghana to face corruption charges, private legal practitioner Austin Brako-Powers has noted.

Speaking to the media, he explained that the Attorney-General has made public statements that appear biased or unfair, and that has turned the issue into a political matter. Because of this politicisation, he believes Ghana’s case will look weaker and less credible when it is considered by authorities in the United States.

He added, “I am saying that the Attorney-General will not be successful in extraditing Ken Ofori-Atta to this country. Based on the public commentaries of the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor [Kissi Agyebeng], they will not—mark it—be able to extradite Ken Ofori-Atta.”

“This is a high-profile extradition case involving a former finance minister, a central figure in the previous administration. It will attract significant attention, and key questions around motive, fairness, and political neutrality will arise.

“Added to that are the prejudicial public statements by the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor [Kissi Agyebeng], which risk undermining Ghana’s credibility as a requesting state”.

His comments are a reaction to a recent announcement by the A-G, disclosing that the office had concluded all the necessary processes in ensuring that the former minister is extradited from the United States (U.S.). On Thursday, December 18, the A-G indicated that the extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and an alleged accomplice, Ernest Darko Kore, from the United States has formally been submitted by the Attorney General (A-G), Dr. Dominic Ayine.

Speaking at the government’s Accountability Series held on Thursday, December 18, Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, said the duo’s extradition processes were initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on November 19.

He added that the Attorney General’s Department initially examined the documents related to the case; however, the International Cooperation Unit found that some parts of the paperwork were incomplete.

Dr Ayine added, “As a result, we communicated our observations to the Office of the Special Prosecutor in a letter dated November 25 and requested additional documentation to ensure completeness.”

He noted that, in response, the OSP finalised the extradition request package on December 9 by providing supplementary documents and addressing the issues raised by the International Cooperation Unit.

Dr Ayine added that the completed extradition request was subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 10 for onward transmission to the appropriate authorities in the United States, specifically the Department of Justice, to conclude the process.

Adding, “At this point, it is left to the authorities of the United States, particularly the judicial authorities, to determine whether there is sufficient basis for the two accused persons to be extradited to Ghana to stand trial.”

Ofori-Atta continues to be a central figure in a legal battle, despite his current health condition. Ofori-Atta appeared on Interpol's website for “using public office for profit” after being declared wanted by the OSP.

This followed his failure to appear before the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Monday, June 2. His lawyers are said to have formally communicated the development to the OSP and the Human Rights Court, submitting medical reports that detail his current condition and outline scheduled surgical procedures.