United States immigration authorities have detained Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is wanted at home over corruption allegations.
Lawyers representing Ofori-Atta said the 66-year-old was taken into custody by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday over issues linked to his immigration status.
Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2025, where he travelled for medical care, including surgery for prostate cancer.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, his lawyers explained that the former minister had applied to extend his stay in the US while undergoing treatment.
“The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Mr Ken Ofori-Atta into custody over the status of his current stay in the United States,” the lawyers said.
They added, “His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously. Mr Ofori-Atta is fully cooperating with the immigration authorities.”
ICE’s online records listed Ofori-Atta as being held at a detention facility in the state of Virginia.
The former finance minister was declared a fugitive by Ghanaian authorities in February 2025 and was formally charged with corruption in November of the same year.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under former president Nana Akufo-Addo. During his time in office, he led controversial tax reforms and played a key role in Ghana’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
There has been no official comment yet from Ghanaian authorities on the US detention, as developments around the case continue to unfold.
