United States immigration authorities have detained Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, over issues relating to the status of his stay in the country, his lawyers have confirmed.
Ofori-Atta, 66, was taken into custody on Tuesday by officers of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to a statement released by his legal team on Wednesday, the detention is linked to questions surrounding his current immigration status in the United States.
The former finance minister has been in the U.S. since January last year, where he travelled for medical reasons. His lawyers said he has undergone treatment, including surgery for prostate cancer, and had formally applied for an extension of his stay on health grounds.
“ICE officers took Mr Ofori-Atta into custody over the status of his current stay in the United States,” the statement said, adding that his legal representatives are actively engaging with U.S. immigration authorities to resolve the matter. The lawyers stressed that Ofori-Atta is cooperating fully and expressed confidence that the situation would be addressed without delay.
ICE’s online detainee database shows that Ofori-Atta is currently being held at a detention facility in the state of Virginia.
The development comes amid longstanding legal troubles facing the former minister in Ghana. Ofori-Atta was declared a fugitive by Ghanaian authorities in February last year and was formally charged with corruption-related offences in November. Ghanaian investigators have accused him of failing to honour invitations from anti-corruption agencies probing alleged financial improprieties linked to his time in office.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo. His tenure was one of the most consequential in Ghana’s recent economic history, marked by sweeping tax reforms, rising public debt, and contentious negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country sought to stabilise its economy amid severe fiscal pressures.
While his supporters credit him with navigating Ghana through turbulent global economic conditions, critics argue that his policies worsened hardship for ordinary citizens and deepened the country’s debt crisis.
Neither U.S. immigration authorities nor Ghanaian officials have, as of press time, issued an official statement detailing whether Ofori-Atta’s detention could lead to deportation or extradition proceedings.
For now, his lawyers maintain that the issue is strictly an immigration matter and not directly connected to the corruption charges he faces at home.
Further developments are expected in the coming days.