Former Ghanaian finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who is on the run on corruption charges, has been taken into custody by US immigration authorities, his lawyers confirmed on Wednesday night (January 7). The French news agency AFP reported on Thursday (January 8).
Ofori-Attar’s lawyers said in a statement that the detention was related to his immigration status. The statement said Ofori-Attar is in the process of applying for adjustment of status. This change of status is “ordinary” under US law. The public is therefore advised that he is a law-abiding person and is cooperating fully with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The 66-year-old has been in the US since January 2025 for medical treatment, specifically for prostate cancer.
In the statement, his lawyers claimed that he is seeking legal adjustment of status – a process that would allow him to remain in the country beyond the expiry of his visa – and that he has been under investigation in Ghana for more than a year.
He was formally charged with corruption last November. Prosecutors alleged that he caused significant financial losses to the state through suspicious transactions involving public funds. A Ghanaian court formally declared him a fugitive in February 2025 after he failed to face charges.
In a statement, his lawyers said they are in contact with ICE and hope the matter will be resolved quickly. Ofori-Atta is cooperating fully with authorities.
The former minister is being held at the Caroline Detention Center in Virginia, according to ICE’s online detainee locator on Wednesday. He was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday (January 6).
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo. He has been a central and controversial figure in Ghana’s recent economic history, overseeing fiscal reforms and the country’s high-level talks with the International Monetary Fund.
His arrest comes amid a period of significantly tighter visa restrictions for citizens of many African countries under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Although Ghana was previously removed from some restrictive lists following an agreement on the repatriation of deportees, the detention of this high-profile figure still signals stricter enforcement of current immigration protocols.
