Former Ghanaian finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been detained by United States immigration authorities following issues linked to the status of his stay in the country, his lawyers have confirmed.
Ofori-Atta, 66, has been in the US since January last year undergoing medical treatment, including surgery for prostate cancer. He is currently wanted in Ghana on suspicion of corr¥ption and was declared a fugitive in February last year before being formally charged in November.
According to his legal team, the detention occurred after he applied to extend his stay in the United States. Officials of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly took him into custody on Tuesday to review concerns surrounding his immigration status.
The lawyers said Ofori-Atta is cooperating fully with immigration authorities, adding that his US-based legal team is in active discussions with ICE and expects the issue to be resolved swiftly.
ICE’s online detention database shows that the former minister is being held at a facility in the US state of Virginia.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under former president Nana Akufo-Addo. His time in office was marked by controversial tax reforms and his involvement in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
