Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is set to appear before a United States court today, Tuesday, following actions by U.S. immigration authorities regarding his legal status in the country.
According to reports, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has determined that Mr. Ofori-Atta no longer holds lawful status to remain in the United States, potentially paving the way for extradition proceedings to Ghana after the hearing.
Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has however dismissed claims that the case is merely a routine visa overstay. He insists that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s visitor visa was deliberately revoked by U.S. authorities, rather than expiring on its own.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, January 10, Dr. Ayine clarified that while Mr. Ofori-Atta was initially allowed to stay in the U.S. until November 29, he did not depart within the required timeframe.
“This is not simply an immigration issue. His visa did not expire; it was revoked. I state this on authority,” Dr. Ayine emphasized, noting that the visa was originally scheduled to run until February before its withdrawal.
The Attorney-General further revealed that the revocation is linked to ongoing investigations, and Ghana’s extradition request for Mr. Ofori-Atta is connected to probes by the Office of the Special Prosecutor into the SML case. He added that Ghanaian and U.S. authorities have been collaborating closely on the matter.
In a related development, former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, is also slated to appear before a U.S. court on January 21 for proceedings related to a potential extradition to Ghana.