Ghana’s former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who faces corruption charges in his home country and was declared a fugitive nearly a year ago, has been taken into custody by United States immigration authorities over questions surrounding his immigration status, his legal team has confirmed.
The 66-year-old former minister, who served under ex-president Nana Akufo-Addo from 2017 to 2024, was detained on Tuesday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a facility in the state of Virginia, according to ICE’s online database. Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2024, ostensibly to receive medical treatment including surgery for prostate cancer.
His lawyers disclosed late Wednesday that the detention relates to “the status of his current stay in the United States,” and confirmed that Ofori-Atta has applied to extend his stay in the country. “His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously,” the statement read, emphasising that the former minister was cooperating fully with immigration authorities.
The detention adds a significant international dimension to a corruption case that has gripped Ghana for over a year. Ofori-Atta was formally declared a fugitive in February 2024 after failing to return to Ghana to face investigation by anti-corruption authorities. He was subsequently charged with corruption in November 2024, marking a dramatic fall from grace for a man who once occupied one of the most powerful economic positions in the West African nation.
During his seven-year tenure as finance minister, Ofori-Atta oversaw contentious tax reforms and led negotiations with the International Monetary Fund during a period of acute economic distress in Ghana. His time in office was marked by mounting public debt, currency depreciation, and widespread criticism of his economic management, particularly as Ghana grappled with its worst economic crisis in decades.
The former minister’s extended absence from Ghana, initially justified on medical grounds, drew increasing scrutiny from opposition politicians, civil society groups, and anti-corruption campaigners who questioned whether his health condition genuinely prevented his return or whether he was deliberately evading prosecution. His declaration as a fugitive in February 2024 effectively confirmed the authorities’ view that his stay abroad had exceeded legitimate medical necessity.
Ofori-Atta’s formal charging with corruption in November 2024 followed months of investigation into allegations of financial impropriety during his time as finance minister. The specific charges against him have not been fully detailed in public documents, but they are understood to relate to suspected mismanagement of state funds and allegations of corrupt practices in the execution of his ministerial duties.
The former minister’s legal troubles come at a politically sensitive time for Ghana, which underwent a change of government following elections. His prosecution has been closely watched as a test of Ghana’s commitment to tackling high-level corruption, a challenge that has bedeviled successive administrations despite repeated promises of accountability and transparency in public office.
Immigration experts suggest that Ofori-Atta’s detention by ICE could complicate his legal position significantly. While his lawyers have expressed confidence that the immigration matter will be resolved quickly, any determination that he has overstayed his permitted duration in the United States could result in deportation proceedings. Such an outcome would likely see him returned to Ghana, where he would face immediate arrest and prosecution on the corruption charges pending against him.
The detention also raises questions about the extent of cooperation, if any, between Ghanaian and American authorities. While there is no public evidence of a formal extradition request from Ghana, the timing of the ICE action, coming months after Ofori-Atta was charged with corruption, has fueled speculation about whether information sharing between the two countries may have influenced the immigration enforcement decision.
Ofori-Atta’s tenure as finance minister was among the longest in Ghana’s recent history, spanning the entirety of Akufo-Addo’s presidency from 2017 until the end of that administration in 2024. His appointment was initially welcomed by the business community and international financial institutions, given his background in investment banking and his reputation as a technocrat.
However, his time in office became increasingly controversial as Ghana’s economic challenges mounted. The country faced severe fiscal pressures, including unsustainable debt levels that eventually forced the government to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Critics accused Ofori-Atta of poor judgment in economic policy formulation and implementation, and of failing to take timely corrective action as warning signs accumulated.
The tax reforms he championed, while aimed at boosting government revenue, proved deeply unpopular with both businesses and ordinary Ghanaians, many of whom felt they were bearing a disproportionate burden of fiscal consolidation. His handling of negotiations with the IMF also drew criticism, with some arguing that the conditions agreed to were unnecessarily harsh and would impose undue hardship on vulnerable populations.
As finance minister, Ofori-Atta wielded enormous influence over Ghana’s economic direction and controlled access to substantial financial resources. It is this combination of power and resource control that has made allegations of corruption against him particularly significant, with implications not only for his personal reputation but also for public confidence in the integrity of Ghana’s economic management during the period in question.
The former minister’s medical condition, while acknowledged by his legal team as genuine, has done little to diminish public skepticism about his prolonged absence from Ghana. Many Ghanaians, particularly those who have followed the case closely, view his extended stay in the United States with suspicion, seeing it as a calculated strategy to avoid accountability rather than a necessary health measure.
His detention by US immigration authorities now places him in a precarious position. If his application to extend his stay is denied, he faces the prospect of deportation, which would end his ability to remain abroad while his legal troubles in Ghana remain unresolved. Conversely, if his application is granted, questions will inevitably arise about the basis for such an extension and whether it is appropriate for the United States to provide what critics might characterize as safe haven to a person facing serious corruption charges in his home country.
