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Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United States, Victor Smith, has disclosed that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was medically fit before placing him in detention.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Smith said ICE arranged for medical personnel to assess Mr Ofori-Atta shortly after his arrest and were satisfied that he was fit to be held at a detention centre.
“Yes, the ICE people confirmed that he was all right. Initially, they had medical people to determine whether he was fit to be held in the detention centre, and they were convinced and were assured that he was okay,” he said.
According to the High Commissioner, although Mr Ofori-Atta was on medication, he was not under the care of a doctor at the time of his arrest and had access to his medication while in detention.
“He was on medication, but he wasn’t seeing any doctor at the time, and he had his medication, so he could be put in the detention centre,” Mr Smith stated.
He clarified that the medical assessment was carried out by health professionals attached to the detention facility and not by ICE officers themselves. He added that detainees with serious medical conditions are usually referred to external medical facilities rather than kept in detention centres.
Mr Smith also revealed that Ghana’s embassy in the US attempted to secure consular access to Mr Ofori-Atta but was unable to meet him because he declined to be visited without his lawyers present.
According to him, ICE initially agreed to facilitate the visit, but the arrangement fell through after Mr Ofori-Atta refused to meet embassy officials without legal representation. After several hours of waiting, ICE later informed the embassy that the former minister had declined to see them under any circumstances.
The High Commissioner described the development as disappointing, noting that the embassy’s intention was to ensure that Mr Ofori-Atta was being treated properly in line with international protocols. He said the embassy respected the former minister’s decision and did not pursue further attempts to visit him.
Mr Ofori-Atta is currently in ICE custody over issues relating to his immigration status in the United States. His legal team has confirmed that he is cooperating with authorities and has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which allows an individual to remain in the US beyond the validity of an initial visa. ICE is yet to announce a final decision on the matter.
