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Manasseh also affirmed the assertions made by the Attorney-General, indicating that Mr Ofori-Atta’s US visa was revoked in June 2025, contrary to claims that it merely expired. However, he clarified that, earlier, Mr Ofori-Atta’s visa was supposed to have expired in the coming month but was revoked, making his last six months and some days stay in the US illegal, hence his detention.

“The update we got exclusively this morning is that the US visa was revoked as far back as June 2025.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.

On January 7, Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers, Menka-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners issued a statement confirming their client's arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over his immigration status.

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”.