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The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s United States visa was formally revoked, contrary to claims that he merely overstayed his permitted period.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Dr Ayine said US authorities had initially directed Ofori-Atta to leave the country by November 29, 2024, but he failed to comply. He stressed that the revocation was deliberate and linked to ongoing investigations, not a routine immigration issue.
“This is not exactly about immigration. His visa is not expired. It expires in February. No, it was revoked. I am telling you this on authority,” Dr Ayine stated.
He explained that US authorities had initially planned to arrest Ofori-Atta on January 4, 2026, but the arrest did not take place on that date. He was eventually apprehended on January 6 in the Virginia area and taken into custody.
According to Dr Ayine, the extradition request submitted to US authorities is connected to investigations being conducted by Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor into the SML matter.
“I have been working with the Americans diligently on him. And the visa was revoked. And that is how come that he lost his immigration status in the United States,” he said.
Meanwhile, Frank Davies, lawyer for Ken Ofori-Atta, said the former minister’s legal team in the US is working to resolve the immigration matter swiftly. Speaking to Citi Eyewitness News on January 8, Davies explained that Ofori-Atta had filed a petition to extend his US immigration status.
Despite the petition, Ofori-Atta was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is currently being held at the Caroline Detention Facility.
“The little I know from our counterpart lawyers in the US, limited as it is, is that he’s put in a petition for an extension of his immigration status, and contingent upon that, ICE, for whatever reason, picked him up,” Davies said.
He added that while the exact reason for the detention remains unclear, efforts are underway to ensure the matter is resolved promptly.
“They are working to have this matter determined expeditiously. In the fullness of time, maybe in the next day or two, we will all get to know what decision has been taken,” he added.
The development has attracted nationwide attention, underscoring the link between US immigration enforcement and Ghana’s ongoing investigations into the former finance minister’s activities.
