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Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, wanted in his country on corruption allegations, has been arrested in the United States over issues related to his immigration status, according to his lawyers.
Ghana has already requested Ofori-Atta’s extradition, but his lawyers are contesting the request, saying the allegations against him are politically motivated.
Ofori-Atta left Ghana last year for medical reasons, his legal team said.
On Wednesday, confirming his detention in the United States, they said they expected the case to be resolved “swiftly.”
In a statement, Ofori-Atta’s lawyers said their client was “law-abiding” and was in the process of seeking a change of immigration status allowing him to remain in the United States “beyond the validity period of [his] Visa”.
The BBC has contacted ICE for comment.
Ofori-Atta faces dozens of charges related to his tenure under the previous administration, including conspiracy to commit procurement fraud and causing financial loss to the state.
Last February, Ghana prosecutors declared the former minister a fugitive, alleging he was trying to evade investigators. That status was stripped from him when his legal team said he intended to return.
His lawyer Enayat Qasimi previously told the BBC that Ofori-Atta was “committed to fully respecting the laws of Ghana and… answering for everything he did while he was finance minister.”
He served as finance minister from January 2017 to February 2024, when the New Patriotic Party was in power.
He lost the December 2024 elections, after which John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress became president, pledging to fight corruption.
Ghana maintains warm relations with the United States and the two countries have collaborated on the repatriation of West African nationals, although it has condemned US actions in Venezuela, which it has called an “invasion”. calling the arrest of its leader Nicolás Maduro a “kidnapping”.
Additional reporting by Daniel Dadzie
