Ken Ofori-Atta’s Immigration Case: US Court Rejects Bail for Ex-Ghana Finance Minister
- A US court has denied bail to Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, leaving him in detention in Virginia as he fights deportation
- Judge David Gardey ruled against his request, stating that he has access to adequate medical care at the ICE facility
- Ofori-Atta is also contesting an extradition request by the Government of Ghana over alleged offences during his tenure between 2017 and 2024
A US court has reportedly denied a bail application by Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Judge David Gardey, the presiding judge at the Annandale Court in Virginia, denied the request and scheduled a ruling for 19 February 2026.
Source: Getty Images
This ruling means the former Finance Minister remains in detention at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia following his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) several months ago.
The information was disclosed on Monday, 23 February 2026, by veteran Ghanaian journalist Alfred Ogbamey in a Facebook post.
“Checks on the official US Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) at 12:16 pm yesterday, Sunday, 22 February 2026, and again this morning confirm that he is still in the custody of the ICE facility. At his first appearance in court on 20 January 2026, lawyers for the first Finance Minister to have fled Ghana before the formal handover to a new government on 7 January 2025 requested bail for him to attend immigration proceedings from his new Washington, DC home,” he wrote.
“Judge David Gardey of the Annandale Court in Virginia denied the request and scheduled a ruling for 19 February 2026. The judge also adjourned the main deportation hearing that day to 1 pm on 27 April 2026 and directed US authorities to provide documentation supporting Ghana’s reported extradition request to the court,” he added.
“At his hearing last Thursday, lawyers for Ken Ofori-Atta argued that he should be granted bail to access proper medical care. Sources say the judge refused the request, insisting that the former minister has access to adequate medical care at the ICE facility,” he further stated.
Ofori-Atta is represented in the US case by former US Attorney General and Missouri Senator John Ashcroft and his law and lobbying firm, along with Enayatullah Qasimi.
His lawyers are expected to file for a review, US sources following the case have said.
Read the Facebook post below:
Ofori-Atta makes first appearance in US court
Ofori-Atta is simultaneously fighting efforts by the Trump administration to deport him for allegedly violating US immigration laws, as well as an extradition request by the Government of Ghana seeking his return to face charges over alleged criminal conduct during his tenure as Finance Minister between 2017 and 2024.
Earlier in January 2026, Ken Ofori-Atta appeared before a US court seeking to change his immigration status.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Ofori-Atta on 7 January 2026 over visa overstay issues.
Photos showed Ofori-Atta’s sombre demeanour as he arrived in court on Tuesday, 20 January 2026.
ICE described him as an illegal immigrant who had overstayed his visa, adding that his conduct amounts to a violation of US immigration law, which could result in deportation.
US authorities have confirmed that Ofori-Atta no longer has lawful status to remain in the country, with officials indicating that his visitor visa was revoked.
Source: Facebook
“Ofori-Atta’s return could expose Akufo-Addo”
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that CPP’s Kwame Jantuah had said Ken Ofori-Atta’s return to Ghana could implicate top officials, including former President Akufo-Addo.
Ofori-Atta recently appeared in a US immigration court after being detained over visa overstay issues.
He is also wanted in Ghana, where the Special Prosecutor has filed 78 corruption-related charges against him.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
