The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has stated that the United States visa of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was revoked prior to his detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), insisting that the development goes beyond a routine immigration matter.
Ken Ofori-Atta was detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over questions surrounding the status of his stay in the country, his legal team has confirmed.
According to a statement released on the matter, Mr Ofori-Atta is currently cooperating fully with ICE while his lawyers engage the authorities to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
The statement explained that Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a process under US law that allows an individual to remain legally in the country beyond the validity of an initial visa.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, January 10, Dr Ayine said Mr Ofori-Atta was apprehended in the Virginia area on Tuesday, January 6, after an earlier plan to arrest him on January 4 did not materialise.
“The arrest was supposed to occur on January 4, and they did not do so. But on Tuesday, January 6, they apprehended him in the Virginia area and took him away,” Dr Ayine said.
Dr Ayine further explained that the revocation occurred in July 2024, after which Ofori-Atta was given up to November 29, 2024, to voluntarily leave the country.
According to the Attorney-General, the former minister’s detention followed the revocation of his visa, which resulted in the loss of his lawful immigration status in the United States.
“It is not exactly about immigration. His visa was revoked. I am telling you this on authority,” Dr Ayine stressed, adding that his most recent engagement with American authorities took place just three days earlier.
He suggested that attempts were being made to frame the issue as a straightforward immigration matter in order to downplay its seriousness.
“I mean, they want to give it that twist to make it look like there is nothing wrong,” he said.
Dr Ayine further linked the situation to Ghana’s ongoing accountability processes, disclosing that he had submitted an extradition request in connection with investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
“The extradition request that I sent was in respect of the OSP,” he explained.
He also noted that he had been working closely with legal representatives in the United States regarding Mr Ofori-Atta’s case.
“I have been working with the American defence diligently on him, and the visa was revoked, and that is how come he lost his immigration status in the United States,” the Attorney-General said.
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