Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over issues relating to his immigration status, his lawyers have confirmed.
In a statement, his legal representatives said he is cooperating fully with ICE while they engage U.S. authorities to resolve the matter.
They noted that he has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a legal process that allows an individual to remain in the United States beyond the expiry of an initial visa— describing it as a routine immigration procedure they expect to be concluded soon.
The development comes amid significant health concerns that have kept the former minister in the United States since January 2025.
He has been receiving treatment for prostate cancer and previously underwent a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, following medical evaluations earlier in the year.
He has also been managing post-COVID Multi-System Inflammatory Response Syndrome, diagnosed in 2021, requiring continued medical supervision.
Ofori-Atta, who served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2023, steered fiscal policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, debt restructuring efforts and IMF negotiations.
His extended stay in the U.S. has coincided with ongoing legal proceedings in Ghana, including corruption-related charges filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in November 2025, currently at the case-management stage.
His legal team emphasized that he remains law-abiding and is working with U.S. authorities to regularize his status while continuing his recovery.
ALSO READ:
