The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has revealed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta did not merely overstay his visa in the United States, but that it was formally revoked.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, January 10, Dr Ayine said US authorities had initially given Ofori-Atta until November 29, 2024, to leave the country, but he failed to comply. He stressed that the revocation was deliberate, connected to ongoing investigations, and not a routine immigration matter.
“This is not exactly about immigration. His visa is not expired. It expires in February. No, it was revoked. I am telling you this on authority,” Dr Ayine said.
He explained that US authorities initially planned to arrest Ofori-Atta on January 4, 2026, but the arrest did not materialise. He was eventually apprehended on January 6 in the Virginia area and taken into custody.
According to Dr Ayine, the extradition request submitted to the US is linked to investigations into the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s SML matter.
“I have been working with the Americans diligently on him. And the visa was revoked. And that is how come that he lost his immigration status in the United States,” he said.
Meanwhile, Frank Davies, lawyer for Ofori-Atta, said his legal team in the US is working to resolve the immigration case swiftly. Speaking to Citi Eyewitness News on January 8, Davies explained that Ofori-Atta had filed a petition to extend his US immigration status.
Despite the petition, he was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is currently held at the Caroline Detention Facility.
“The little I know from our counterpart lawyers in the US, limited as it is, is that he’s put in a petition for an extension of his immigration status, and contingent upon that, ICE, for whatever reason, picked him up,” Davies said.
He added that the reason for the detention remains unclear but assured that the legal team is working around the clock to resolve the issue. “They are working to have this matter determined expeditiously. In the fullness of time, maybe in the next day or two, we will all get to know what decision has been taken,” he said.
The case has drawn national attention, highlighting the intersection of US immigration enforcement and Ghana’s ongoing investigations into Ofori-Atta’s activities.
Read also
Ayine: ORAL recoveries to start flowing this year
