Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta will appear before a United States court today, Tuesday, January 20, following actions taken by U.S. immigration authorities concerning his legal status in the country.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allegedly determined that Mr Ofori-Atta had overstayed his legal permit in the United States and no longer has lawful status to remain in the Country.
Although Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has dismissed suggestions that the matter is a routine case of visa overstay, while maintaining that Mr Ofori-Atta’s visitor visa was actively revoked by U.S. authorities rather than expiring naturally, this development could open the way for extradition proceedings to Ghana after the court hearing.
Background
On Saturday, January 10, Dr Ayine, Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, explained that although Mr Ofori-Atta had initially been permitted to remain in the United States until November 29, he failed to depart within the stipulated period.
He also revealed that the revocation of the visa was intentional and tied to ongoing investigations, not standard immigration enforcement.
“This is not simply an immigration issue. His visa did not expire; it was revoked. I state this on authority,” Dr Ayine said, adding that the visa was due to run until February before it was withdrawn.
The Attorney-General emphasised that Ghana’s request for Mr Ofori-Atta’s extradition is in connection with investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor concerning the SML case, noting that Ghanaian and U.S. authorities have been working closely on the matter.
By: Janice Opoku-Agyemang
