Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is scheduled to appear before a United States immigration court on June 15, 2026, in a case that could determine both his residency status in America and Ghana’s efforts to secure his return over pending criminal charges.
According to court records, the hearing will take place at 1:00 p.m. before Judge David A. Gardey at the Annandale Immigration Court in Virginia and is expected to be conducted virtually.
The upcoming session is anticipated to go beyond earlier procedural hearings, with the court set to examine the merits of his immigration case and arguments regarding his continued stay in the United States.
The development follows his release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on April 7, after a court granted him bail set at $65,000. His legal team, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners, confirmed that he had reunited with his family and remains committed to due process under U.S. law.
Mr Ofori-Atta reportedly entered the United States on May 28, 2025, on a visitor’s visa which expired in November 2025. He was later arrested by immigration authorities in January 2026 for overstaying.
Meanwhile, authorities in Ghana are seeking his return to face more than 70 criminal charges alongside other individuals, as part of ongoing corruption-related investigations. Some of the allegations are linked to the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited contract.
His U.S.-based lawyer, Enayat Qasimi, has argued that his client is pursuing a pathway to residency in the United States and raised concerns about whether he would receive a fair trial if returned to Ghana, describing the case as politically motivated.
Mr Ofori-Atta, who served under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was a central figure in Ghana’s economic management, including during the country’s 2023 IMF bailout programme. However, his tenure also attracted criticism over Ghana’s debt crisis and the implementation of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
The June 15 hearing is expected to draw significant attention both in Ghana and internationally, as its outcome could shape the next phase of the legal and diplomatic process surrounding the former minister.
