A United States judge has ordered federal authorities to provide documentary evidence of an extradition request from Ghana before ruling on the bond application of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who remains in detention by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The decision came during a closed-door immigration hearing on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, where Mr. Ofori-Atta’s legal team sought bail. State attorneys opposed the request, citing an alleged extradition request from Ghana as grounds to deny bail.
According to a Joynews report, Judge David A. Gardey, presiding over the case, declined to make an immediate ruling on the extradition claim due to the lack of supporting documents.
“The court cannot act on assertions without proof,” the judge stated, instructing the federal government to submit any evidence by February 19, 2026.
The matter has been adjourned to Thursday, April 27, 2026, at 1:00 pm, when the court will revisit the bail application alongside any submitted documents. In the interim, Mr. Ofori-Atta will continue to be held in ICE custody.
News of his detention first surfaced on January 7, 2026, via a statement from his Ghanaian legal representatives, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners (MPOBB). Signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, Esq., the notice revealed that ICE had detained the former minister on January 6, 2026, over concerns regarding his immigration status.
The lawyers explained that Mr. Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a standard US legal process allowing individuals to extend their stay beyond visa validity.
“Under US law, a change of status by this method is common,” the statement noted, emphasizing that he is a “law-abiding person” cooperating fully with ICE.
According to official records from the US Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Ofori-Atta is currently detained at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia.
Ken Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2025, receiving treatment for prostate cancer.
Sources close to the family indicate he underwent a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on June 13, 2025, after tests revealed disease progression. He had been under medical observation for weeks prior.
Additionally, Mr. Ofori-Atta is managing post-COVID multi-system inflammatory response syndrome, diagnosed in February 2021.
In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor in Ghana charged him and others with corruption and related offences. That case is presently at the case management conference stage.