US arrests, detains ex-Ghana minister, Ofori-Atta

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, has arrested Kenneth Ofori-Atta, once the finance minister of Ghana, regarding his legal status in the United States.

Ofori-Atta’s lawyers announced the news in a statement on Wednesday, stating that the former minister was arrested by US immigration officers on Tuesday.

The statement says that Ofori-Atta has a petition that is still waiting to be processed regarding his immigration status.

The lawyers said, “The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained former Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, yesterday concerning his current stay in the United States.”

They said that his legal team in the US is communicating with ICE and hopes to resolve the situation quickly.

Ofori-Atta has been in the United States for over a year, mainly to get medical treatment. An online tool that tracks ICE detainees shows he is currently being held at the Caroline detention center.

The arrest happens while the ex-minister is facing other legal issues in Ghana.

In February 2025, Ghanaian officials declared him wanted because he did not show up for questioning when asked about corruption allegations.

In November 2025, the Ghanaian government charged him along with six other people. One month later, in December 2025, Ghana officially asked the United States to send Ofori-Atta back so he could be tried for the charges against him. Ofori-Atta was the finance minister of Ghana from 2017 until 2024, working under President Nana Akufo-Addo.

During his time in office, he was responsible for managing the country’s economic policies, which included dealing with financial difficulties and reorganizing the country’s debts.

As of the time this report was written, neither ICE nor the Ghanaian authorities have made any additional public statements about the detention.