Ken Ofori-Atta Was Medically Fit for Detention; Ghana's Ambassador to US Gives Update From ICE
- Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Victor Smith, clarified that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was medically fit for his detention in the US
- Ofori-Atta has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement over immigration status issues
- The former finance minister declined to meet with Ghana's embassy in the US without his lawyers after news of his detention broke
Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Victor Smith, has disclosed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was medically fit to be held in a detention centre before he was detained.
Ofori-Atta is in the US on medical grounds, and there are concerns about his recent detention by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Source: Getty Images
Smith told Joy News that ICE arranged for medical personnel to assess Ofori-Atta shortly after his arrest.
Ofori-Atta is on some medicine but is not seeing a doctor, according to the ambassador.
“Yes, the ICE people confirmed that he was all right. Initially, they had medical people to determine whether he was fit to be held in the detention centre, and they were convinced and were assured that he was okay."
He added that the assessment was conducted by medical professionals attached to the detention facility, not by ICE officers.
Smith also said ICE explained that detainees with serious medical conditions are usually referred to external medical facilities rather than kept in detention centres.
When was Ken Ofori-Atta detained?
ICE detained Ofori-Atta on January 7, according to his lawyers.
In the notice issued on January 7 and signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, the lawyers noted that the detention resulted from challenges regarding the status of Ofori-Atta’s continued stay in the US.
Ofori-Atta declined to meet with Ghana's consular officers in the US without his lawyers when his detention became public, according to an embassy statement on Facebook.
This notwithstanding, the ambassador said his outfit will ensure that Ofori-Atta's rights are respected.
How Ken Ofori-Atta was arrested
According to Ghanaian investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ofori-Atta was arrested around 11 am on January 6, 2026, when he stepped out of his apartment in the Westlight building, a high-end residential complex located at 1111 24th Street in Northwest Washington, DC.
The former Finance Minister lived in the apartment with his wife and son.
The Westlight building is situated in one of Washington, DC’s most affluent neighbourhoods, about a 20-minute walk from the White House, and is known to house prominent personalities.
According to Manasseh, the arrest of the former Finance Minister seemed like a targeted operation since it didn't look like the typical mass arrest carried out in public places.
Push to bring Ofori-Atta to Ghana
There are currently attempts to extradite Ofori-Atta to face prosecution for alleged corruption.
The Special Prosecutor is leading efforts to extradite him from the US, as he is being investigated for alleged corruption in five different cases.
Source: Getty Images
The special prosecutor formally charged the former minister on November 18 in the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana scandal, and is currently fighting to have an INTERPOL red notice removed.
In a statement on Facebook, the special prosecutor noted that the notice had been redacted from public view because of a challenge from Ofori-Atta being assessed.
Ofori-Atta's visa was revoked
YEN.com.gh reported that Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai said Ofori-Atta was in the US illegally.
He stated that the former minister's visa was revoked in June 2025, contrary to earlier reports that the visa had expired.
Until his US visa was revoked, Ofori-Atta's permit was to expire on February 14, 2026. Meanwhile, his Canadian and UK visas will expire on April 21, 2032 and May 31, 2031.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
