Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that the United States formally revoked the visa of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, dismissing claims that the issue was a simple visa overstay.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Dr Ayine said US authorities had initially directed Ofori-Atta to leave the country by November 29, 2024, but he failed to do so. According to him, the action taken by the US was deliberate and tied to ongoing investigations, not routine immigration enforcement.
“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 No, it was revoked.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,” Dr Ayine stated.
He revealed that US authorities had planned to arrest Ofori-Atta on January 4, 2026, but the operation did not take place as scheduled. Ofori-Atta was later arrested on January 6 in the Virginia area and taken into custody.
Dr Ayine further explained that Ghana’s extradition request is connected to investigations involving the Office of the Special Prosecutor, particularly the SML matter.
“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 And the visa was revoked.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,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ofori-Atta’s lawyer, Frank Davies, said the former minister’s legal team in the US is working to resolve the matter swiftly. Speaking to Citi Eyewitness News on January 8, Davies disclosed that Ofori-Atta had filed a petition to extend his immigration status before his arrest.
Despite the petition, Ofori-Atta was picked up by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is currently being held at the Caroline Detention Facility.
“The little I know from our counterpart lawyers in the US… is that he’s put in a petition for an extension of his immigration status, and contingent upon that, ICE, for whatever reason, picked him up,” Davies said.
He added that the exact grounds for the detention are still unclear but assured the public that efforts are underway to resolve the issue quickly.
The case has generated significant public interest in Ghana, underscoring the growing intersection between US immigration enforcement and domestic anti-corruption investigations involving high-profile former public officials.
