Dr Dominic Ayine, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, has revealed that Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, lost his legal immigration status in the United States after his visa was formally revoked by the US State Department, contrary to popular belief that he had overstayed.
The discovery comes amid public debate about Mr Ofori-Atta’s lawyers’ claims that he was detained in the United States due to immigration concerns. These statements prompted concerns about the circumstances underlying his continuing presence in the country.
Dr. Ayine revealed on JoyNews’ Newsfile that the former minister’s visa was terminated in July 2024, and US authorities gave him a window to leave voluntarily.
“I want Ghanaians to know that he just didn’t overstay his visa. The visa was actually revoked, they gave him up to November 29 of 2024 to leave the United States. He did not,” Dr Ayine said.
The Ghanaian government has subsequently started the extradition process for Mr. Ofori-Atta, who fled Ghana last year on medical concerns, according to his legal team.
The motion has been rejected by his attorneys, who maintain that the accusations against him are politically motivated.
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement subsequently confirmed his detention and posted his information on its official website.
According to the listing, Mr. Ofori-Atta is being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia and is due to appear in court in the United States on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
His Ghanaian attorneys, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners, said in a public statement that the former minister had already requested an adjustment of his immigration status and that they were certain the matter would be settled.
Additionally, Dr. Ayine revealed that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s arrest did not go as planned. He claims that on January 4, 2026, US authorities planned to arrest the former minister, but the plan fell through. He claimed that on Tuesday, January 6, Mr. Ofori-Atta was apprehended and placed under arrest in the Virginia region.
The Attorney General said that the revocation of the visa was intentional and related to ongoing investigations, warning against seeing the case as a straightforward immigration violation.
“This is not exactly about immigration. His visa is not expired. It expires in February. No, it was revoked. I am telling you this on authority,” he emphasised.
Dr. Ayine further revealed that the US authorities’ decision was the result of ongoing communication with Ghanaian officials, especially over an extradition request that his office had filed.
“The extradition request that I sent was in respect of the OSP – the SME matter,” he said. “I have been working with the Americans diligently on him. And the visa was revoked. And that is how come that he lost his immigration status in the United States.”
Source: newsthemegh.com