Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem Sai, has revealed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has rebuffed all attempts by Ghana’s Embassy in the United States to provide him with diplomatic support following his detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points programme on Saturday, January 10, Dr Sai disclosed that Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has made repeated efforts to visit Ofori-Atta and offer the necessary assistance entitled to a Ghanaian citizen in such circumstances. However, these overtures have been consistently rejected by the former minister.
“Let me mention this: our mission in the United States, in Washington, the ambassador, Victor Smith, has been taking efforts to go and visit him and offer him the necessary support that a citizen is entitled to in such situations. Unfortunately, he seemed to have refused every effort that such assistance,” Dr Sai stated.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting Ofori-Atta, noting that as a former high-ranking official, the state owes him a duty of care.
“We are making every effort to offer him all the assistance he needs. And you know, when you’re in a different country, and some things like this happen. Being a former high-ranking official, we really owe you a duty to offer you our necessary support in that situation,” the Deputy Attorney-General added.
Dr Sai further explained that the rejected support includes offers for legal representation, financial aid, or any other resources that could help resolve his situation.
“If you need a lawyer, if you need financial support, anything that will help you to come out of that, he doesn’t want… And he said he didn’t need; I mean he did not accept.”
Ofori-Atta, 66, was detained by ICE on January 6, 2026, in Washington, DC, over immigration status concerns after his U.S. visa was revoked in June 2025.
He had been living in the U.S. illegally for approximately six months, according to Dr Sai’s earlier revelations on the same programme. The former minister is currently held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia.
In a public notice issued by his Ghanaian lawyers, Menka-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners, on January 7, 2026, it was stated that Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which they claim allows for a legal stay beyond the visa’s validity under U.S. law. The notice assured that he is cooperating with ICE and expects a swift resolution.
Ofori-Atta served as Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024 under President Nana Akufo-Addo and left Ghana in early 2025 for medical treatment, including surgery for prostate cancer. He was declared wanted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in February 2025 on corruption charges related to the SML Deal, the National Cathedral project, and other matters, facing 78 counts alongside co-accused individuals.
Dr Sai indicated that Ofori-Atta will be arrested upon his return to Ghana, where he would undergo due process and potentially be granted bail.