Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, has been taken into custody by United States immigration authorities while receiving medical care in the country, according to a statement from his legal representatives.
Ofori-Atta, 66, has been in the United States since January 2025 for medical treatment, including surgery related to prostate cancer. His lawyers said he was detained on Tuesday by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over issues connected to his immigration status, following an application to extend his stay.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the legal team said the former minister was cooperating fully with US authorities and that discussions were ongoing to resolve the matter. “His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously,” the statement said.
ICE’s online detention records list Ofori-Atta as being held at a facility in the state of Virginia.
The detention comes as the former finance minister faces legal challenges in Ghana. He was declared a fugitive in February 2025 and formally charged with corruption-related offences in November of the same year.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister between 2017 and 2024 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, a period marked by controversial tax reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
