🚨 Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over his visa status, his legal team confirmed this week.
Ofori-Atta, 66, has been in the US since January 2025 for medical treatment, including surgery for prostate cancer 🏥. He was declared a fugitive by Ghanaian authorities in February 2025 and formally charged with corruption in November 2025.
According to his lawyers, Ofori-Atta applied to extend his stay legally, but was detained on Tuesday when ICE reviewed his immigration paperwork. They say he’s fully cooperating and expect a swift resolution.
ICE’s online records list him as held at a detention facility in Virginia, where many high-profile immigration cases are processed.
This arrest comes amid significantly tightened US visa restrictions for nationals of several African countries. It also casts a spotlight on Ofori-Atta’s tenure as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024, during which he introduced controversial tax measures and led IMF negotiations 💼.
For young professionals tracking global governance and mobility, this case underscores how legal and immigration systems intersect across borders 🌍. Stay tuned as more details emerge.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
