Dr Dominic Ayine (L) says Ken Ofori-Atta (R) was arrested due to extradition processes
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine has confirmed that the arrest of the former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, by ICE agents in the United States was due to his extradition request.
Speaking on JoyNews Newsfile on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Dr Ayine said that Ofori-Atta’s detention is part of ongoing extradition processes, clarifying that it is linked to the revocation of his US visa and not a routine immigration overstay.
What We Know: Ken Ofori-Atta’s visa, ICE detention and Feburary 14 deadline
“I didn’t make this public, but I started investigating Ofori-Atta. In fact, in his case, I’m doing it with some foreign investigators who are tracking all the offshore dealings and so on. We are also doing our own investigations here. They are inconclusive, as we speak. I mean, we have not come to any conclusion,” Dr Ayine revealed.
Describing the investigations as serious and potentially far-reaching, the Attorney General emphasised that collaboration with US authorities began long before the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) issued any public statements.
“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,” he clarified.
According to Dr Ayine, the US State Department revoked Ofori-Atta’s visa in July (sic) and gave him until November 29 to leave the country. His failure to comply prompted enforcement action.
“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 is how come 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.
He stressed that the matter is far more than an immigration issue.
“It’s not exactly about immigration. It was revoked. The visa was revoked. I am telling you this on authority,” he stated.
The AG’s confirmation corroborates statements by the Acting Director General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, who said that the detention of Ofori-Atta in the United States is directly linked to efforts by the Attorney General’s office to secure his extradition.
Amaliba clarified that the revocation of Ofori-Atta’s US visa and his subsequent arrest were not due to an expired visa or immigration overstay, but resulted from actions initiated by Ghanaian authorities through the Attorney General.
Ken Ofori-Atta arrested and detained in the US
“Now, I can confirm to you that this [Ofori-Atta’s detention] is part of the processes leading up to his extradition, and this is the handiwork of our Attorney General. And I can tell you that it is the Attorney General who, in his attempts to get Ofori-Atta back here, made the US authorities revoke his stay status.
“His visa has not expired. Manasseh told us that it will be in February, so anybody who writes a letter saying that it is part of the overstay extension is a hoax,” Amaliba stated while speaking on TV3’s Newday on January 9, 2026.
MAG/AE
