Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta arrested by ICE in the US

Reports emerging from the United States of America (USA) indicate that Ghana’s former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in that country.

According to a report on Asaase Online, lawyers for Mr Ofori-Atta in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB) are working frantically to secure his release from detention.

A statement issued on Wednesday, 7 January 2026 and signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo Esq., noted that the detention resulted from challenges regarding the status of Mr Ofori-Atta’s continued stay in the United States.

“The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as of yesterday, detained the former Minister for Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, regarding the status of his current stay in the United States. His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously.”

“Mr. Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorizes a person to stay in the US legally past the period of validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common,” the public notice issued by MPOBB read.

“The Public is, therefore, advised to note that he is a law-abiding person and is fully cooperating with ICE to have this issue resolved. His legal team is in contact with ICE and working to resolve the matter as expeditiously as possible,” the public notice issued by Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyers further read.

Mr Ofori-Atta, who served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 until his exit from office, has in recent times been the subject of intense public scrutiny and political debate, particularly over matters relating to the management of the economy and ongoing accountability processes.

The reported arrest comes against the backdrop of multiple legal challenges facing the former Finance Minister in Ghana, including ongoing court cases and extradition efforts initiated by the Attorney-General and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Mr Ofori-Atta has in recent years been under investigation by the OSP over alleged corruption and corruption-related offences linked to his tenure as Finance Minister. The Special Prosecutor has previously declared him a wanted person after he failed to honour invitations to appear before the office for questioning, citing medical reasons and travel abroad.

In addition, the Attorney-General has been pursuing legal processes aimed at securing Mr Ofori-Atta’s return to Ghana to answer to charges pending before the courts. Extradition requests have reportedly been initiated to compel his return to face trial.