“Ofori-Atta Has Been Moved From the Caroline Detention Centre”: Ambassador Smith Discloses
- Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Victor Smith, said that Ken Ofori-Atta has been moved from the Caroline Detention Facility
- According to the ambassador, the former minister is expected to appear virtually in a US court hearing on January 20, 2026
- Smith stated that he does not know why the hearing would be held virtually, but assumed this was commonplace in the US
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Ghana’s Ambassador to the USA, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has disclosed that Ken Ofori-Atta has been moved from the Caroline Detention Facility, where he was held.
The former Finance Minister was arrested and detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 5, 2026, over immigration status issues.
Source: Getty Images
However, Smith said his recent checks showed that the former Finance Minister has been moved from there and is expected to appear before a US court on January 20, 2026.
He added that Ofori-Atta's hearing would be held virtually.
“The only thing I know is that Ken’s one would be virtual, and I am also informed that he has been moved from the detention centre where he was before. I haven’t been briefed as to why the virtual court, I guess it is something they do these days.”
Ofori-Atta reportedly fears returning to Ghana
Meanwhile, in an interview with Accra-based TV3, the ambassador said that Ofori-Atta, through his cousin Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, expressed fear over his fate if he was to return to West Africa.
According to Smith, this fear was expressed by the former Finance Minister's relative in a phone conversation.
“Gabby [Otchere-Darko] called me and said [Ofori-Atta] wants to come [back to Ghana], but he is afraid of how he will be treated.”
The ambassador said he assured Otchere-Darko that Ofori-Atta would be treated well and taken through the correct legal processes.
"So I told him I wanted to meet Ken and give him the assurance that he will be taken through the legal process because the Attorney-General, Dr [Dominic] Ayine, gave me that assurance,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the ICE unit said Ghana’s former Finance Minister is an 'illegal alien' who has overstayed his visa.
ICE adds that Ofori-Atta's conduct amounts to a violation of US immigration law, which could result in deportation.
Source: UGC
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.
The former Finance Minister was arrested 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.
Ofori-Atta 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.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
