Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine is the Attorney General and Minister of Justice
The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has disclosed that he began working with United States authorities on matters involving former Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta long before the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) made its public announcement on the case.
According to him, the engagement with American investigators predates recent developments and goes beyond public speculation about Ofori-Atta’s immigration status in the United States.
AG Ayine confirms Ofori-Atta arrest was due to extradition request
“So, I started working with the Americans in respect of Ofori-Atta long before OSP came up with the announcement. I started working with them, and I want Ghanaians to know that he just didn’t overstay his visa. The visa was actually revoked… I am telling you this on authority,” he said on JoyNews on January 10, 2026.
The AG further revealed that discussions with US authorities are ongoing, with the most recent meeting taking place just days before his interview.
“The last meeting that I had with the American authorities was just a few days ago,” he disclosed.
Clarifying the legal basis of Ghana’s formal request, Dr Ayine explained that the extradition process is tied to the ongoing SML investigation being handled by the OSP.
“But, of course, the extradition request that I sent was in respect of the OSP [the SML matter],” he clarified.
He stressed that sustained cooperation between his office and US officials led to the revocation of Ofori-Atta’s visa.
“I have been working with the Americans diligently on him, and the visa was revoked, and that how comes that he lost his immigration status in the United States,” he said.
Dr Ayine also confirmed that Ofori-Atta’s arrest by ICE agents in the United States was directly related to the extradition request, stating that the arrest was not due to a routine immigration overstay.
Ofori-Atta declined meeting with consular officials without his lawyers – Ghana Embassy
“The visa was actually revoked. So, it’s not that Ofori-Atta overstayed. So, in July, the American State Department revoked his visa, and they gave him up to November 29 (sic) to leave the United States. He did not. And then, that how comes that they decided they were going to now pursue him and arrest him.
“Actually, the arrest was supposed to occur on January 4th [2026], and they did not do so, but on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, they apprehended him in the Virginia area and took him into custody,” he explained.
MAG/AM
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