Accra – Ghana’s former finance minister, who is wanted at home on suspicion of corruption, has been detained by US immigration, his lawyers said.
They said the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took Ofori-Atta into custody on Tuesday over “the status of his current stay in the United States”.
Ghana has asked the US to extradite the former finance minister over corruption charges. Earlier this year Ken Ofori-Atta was declared a fugitive and Interpol issued a red notice, alerting law enforcement agencies to locate and detain him.
He has denied any wrongdoing. pic.twitter.com/aH8uG25NAc— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) December 24, 2025
“His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously,” the statement added, stressing that Ofori-Atta was cooperating fully with immigration authorities.
ICE’s online database listed Ofori-Atta as being held at a facility in the US state of Virginia.
Ofori-Atta served as finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under former president Nana Akufo-Addo and oversaw contentious tax reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
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Source: AFP
