The Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC, has reported that Ghana’s former Finance Minister Ken Ofori has declined to meet them.

The Embassy reported this in a formal statement shared by the Deputy Attorney General, Dr Srem-Sai, on his X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday, January 11.

According to the Ghanaian Ambassador, Victor Emmanuel Smith, his outfit requested access to Mr Ofori-Atta after confirming his arrest and detention over his immigration status.

Their request for access to him was “to provide consular assistance in line with established diplomatic and international protocols”.

However, “The Embassy was informed by the facility that the detainee declined to engage with consular officials at that time without his lawyers present”.

However, “The Embassy of Ghana remains in contact with the appropriate United States authorities and will continue to follow the matter closely to ensure that Mr. Ofori Atta's rights are totally respected.”

Meanwhile, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has shed more light on the arrest and detention of Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Speaking during an interview on TV3’s Key Points program on January 10, Manasseh revealed that Ofori-Atta’s arrest was a targeted operation by ICE and wasn’t part of a general swoop.

He mentioned that witnesses present at the scene claim that Mr Ofori-Atta was arrested right after he exited his residence, a luxury apartment complex in Washington DC, known as Westlight Apartments, located at 1111 24th Street, on the morning of Tuesday, January 6.

“This wasn’t like those organised raids by ICE in specific places. They got in specifically for him. As soon as he emerged from the entrance of the building, they moved in, surrounded him, got him into a car and drove him away,” Mr Azure said on January 10.

He continued, “This is a luxury apartment complex in the West End of Washington DC, about a 20-minute walk from the White House, adding that former Vice President Kamala Harris owned a two-bedroom condo in this same apartment complex.”

Following his arrest in Washington DC, Mr Ofori-Atta was transferred to a detention facility in Virginia, where he is currently being held.

Manasseh also affirmed the assertions made by the Attorney-General, indicating that Mr Ofori-Atta’s US visa was revoked in June 2025, contrary to claims that it merely expired. However, he clarified that, earlier, Mr Ofori-Atta’s visa was supposed to have expired in the coming month but was revoked, making his last six months and some days stay in the US illegal, hence his detention.

“The update we got exclusively this morning is that the US visa was revoked as far back as June 2025. He’s been living in the US illegally for the past six months, and that is what landed him in trouble with ICE. It is possible to have a visa with a future expiration date, but the state can still take it back,” he noted.

“Extradition comes with a whole lot of legal issues, but if you overstay your visa, that changes everything” he added.

Mr Ofori-Atta has been on Ghana’s wanted list for months now, and all efforts to bring him down to Ghana appear to have proven futile.

However, Manasseh believes that his detention may make it easier for the US authorities to comply with Ghana's extradition request. However, in a turn around of events, while many expressed excitement at the news of his potential extradition by the US, Mannasseh also revealed that the former Minister held valid visas from both the UK and Canada. The UK visa is set to expire on April 21, 2032, and Canada’s is set to expire on May 31, 2031.