*Arrived in Texas on a B1/B2 Visitor’s Visa, overstayed period of duration as stated by Custom & Border Control
*Claim medical health challenges in Houston to avert facing prosecution in Accra
*Ghana previously requested suspect extradition, lawyers alleged accusations politically motivated
*“We opened investigation into Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta in connection with multiple allegations of financial misconduct, office abuse, corruption running into millions of dollars. Our office reaffirmed his fugitive status, submitted an extradition through the Attorney-General of the Republic of Ghana, seeking Mr. Ofori-Atta’s provisional arrest, and return to Ghana to face prosecution”-Office of the Special Prosecutor, Ghana
*BY DEMIAN SAMUEL/ANTI-GRAFT Staff Reporter, Houston/Naija Standard Newspaper Inc USA
HE was a fugitive, running away from the long arms of law and order. He was Ghana’s former minister of Finance, wanted for corruption in Old Gold Coast nation. His name is KEN OFORI-ATTA. He was alleged by the Ghanaian government to have allegedly looted millions of dollars. But his attorneys fought back alleging their client was facing political attack.
Ofori-Atta arrived in Houston, Texas on a B1/B2 Visitor’s Visa a few months ago, overstayed his period of duration as stated by Custom & Border Control, CBP. And while allegedly hiding, he was hungry and strolled into a Mc Donald store to get some meals, unknowing to him U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE officials were all over the place.
Immediately after his arrest, he begged the Immigration officers to spare him out of handcuffs being placed on his wrist. His words: “Don’t Handcuff Me, I Have Not Committed a Crime, I’m highly respected in Africa.”
Ofori-Atta, who is wanted at home on corruption allegations, has been detained in the US over issues related to his immigration status, his lawyers say.
Ghana has previously requested Ofori-Atta’s extradition, but his lawyers are challenging this, saying the allegations against him are politically motivated.
Ofori-Atta left Ghana last year for medical reasons, his legal team said.
On Wednesday, confirming his detention in the US, they said they expected the matter to be resolved “expeditiously”.
In a statement, Ofori-Atta’s lawyers said their client was “law-abiding” and was in the process of applying to change his immigration status allowing him to stay in the US “past the period of validity of (his) visa”.
Ofori-Atta faces dozens of charges relating to his time in office under the previous administration, including conspiracy to commit procurement fraud and causing financial loss to the state.
Last February, prosecutors in Ghana declared the former minister a fugitive, alleging that he was trying to evade investigators. This status was withdrawn when his legal team said he did intend to return.
His lawyer Enayat Qasimi previously told the BBC that Ofori-Atta was “committed to fully complying with the laws of Ghana and… answering for anything he did when he was finance minister”.
He was finance minister from January 2017 to February 2024, when the New Patriotic Party was in power.
It lost the December 2024 elections, after which John Mahama from the National Democratic Congress became president, pledging to crack down on corruption.
Ghana enjoys warm relations with the US, and the two countries have collaborated on repatriating West African nationals, although it did condemn the US actions in Venezuela, which it called an “invasion”, describing the seizure of its leader Nicolás Maduro as an “abduction”.
In a statement issued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Ghana as publicly announced: “We opened investigation into Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta in connection with multiple allegations of financial misconduct, office abuse, corruption running into millions of dollars. Our office reaffirmed his fugitive status, submitted an extradition through the Attorney-General of the Republic of Ghana, seeking Mr. Ofori-Atta’s provisional arrest and return to Ghana to face prosecution”.
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