The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice has disclosed that Ghanaian authorities were actively involved in the processes that culminated in the detention of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, by United States immigration authorities.
According to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, and his Deputy, Justice Srem-Sai, the detention did not occur in isolation but followed deliberate actions beginning with the revocation of Ofori-Atta’s U.S. visa earlier in 2025.
The two officials have dismissed public speculation that the matter was solely an immigration issue beyond Ghana’s control, confirming instead that Ghana collaborated with U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Speaking on JOY FM’s Newsfile programme on Friday, January 10, and monitored by africanewsradio.com, Dr. Ayine stated that his office played an active role in the developments.
“We are keenly involved in this matter. We collaborated with law enforcement agencies in this matter,” he revealed.
In a separate interview on TV3, Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai clarified that Ofori-Atta’s U.S. visa was revoked in June 2025, contrary to claims that it had merely expired.
“ICE will not come for you unless you have visa issues. That is what has happened,” he said.
“June 2025, his visa was revoked, not an expiration of the visa. The information we have is that his visa was revoked. So he has been living in America without a visa.”
Ken Ofori-Atta was subsequently detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over concerns relating to the legality of his stay in the country.
The detention was confirmed in a public notice issued on January 7 by his legal team, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners. The notice stated that Ofori-Atta’s U.S. legal representatives are engaging ICE and are hopeful the matter will be resolved expeditiously.
Meanwhile, the former Finance Minister is wanted by the Office of the Attorney-General and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in connection with several alleged offences. These include matters relating to the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) deal and the National Cathedral project.
Source: Clement Akoloh||africanewsradio.com
