Ofori-Atta’s US detention is immigration-related, not extradition – Barker-Vormawor

Private legal practitioner and anti-corruption campaigner Oliver Barker-Vormawor has clarified that the reported detention of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in the United States is unrelated to any extradition request from Ghana and is strictly an immigration matter.

In a post on X, Barker-Vormawor dismissed claims linking the detention to Ghana’s legal processes, stating that Mr Ofori-Atta was not arrested at the request of Ghanaian authorities.

“Ken Ofori-Atta was not arrested over our extradition request. He was arrested for overstaying his visa. He is liable to being deported, not extradited,” he wrote.

His comments come amid reports that officials of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had detained the former Finance Minister. A statement from his legal team, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), confirmed that the issue relates to the status of his stay in the US.

According to the lawyers, Mr Ofori-Atta has filed a petition for adjustment of status, a provision under US immigration law that allows an individual to remain in the country legally after a visa expires while an application is under review.

The legal team said his US-based lawyers are in active engagement with ICE and expect the matter to be resolved quickly, adding that he is fully cooperating with immigration authorities.

They also assured the public that Mr Ofori-Atta remains a law-abiding individual and is working to regularise his status.

Meanwhile, the former Finance Minister continues to face serious legal challenges in Ghana. He and seven others have been charged with 78 counts of corruption and related offences over contracts awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).

The Office of the Special Prosecutor alleges that the accused persons conspired from 2017 to manipulate procurement processes to give SML an undue advantage in securing government contracts for transaction audits, external price verification, and petroleum and mineral audit services.

Mr Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2025, which he says was for medical treatment. He has also been placed on an Interpol red notice by the OSP, a move he is currently contesting in court.

Barker-Vormawor’s remarks appear intended to dispel public speculation, emphasising that the detention has no connection to extradition or Ghana’s judicial actions but is instead governed by US immigration law.