- Ken Ofori-Atta has been remanded in ICE custody following a closed-door U.S. immigration hearing on Jan 20, 2026
- The hearing focused on a bail application, which was opposed by U.S. state attorneys
- Authorities cited a possible extradition request from Ghana, but no evidence was presented
Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been remanded into the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a private immigration hearing on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, pending further proceedings on his bail application.
The closed-door hearing, requested by his legal team, centered on a bail request. State attorneys opposed the application, citing Ghana’s submission of an extradition request for Mr. Ofori-Atta.
In his ruling, Judge David A. Gardey declined to make an immediate determination on the extradition claim, noting that no documentary evidence had been presented to support it.
“The court cannot act on assertions without proof,” the judge stated, directing the federal government to submit any supporting evidence of an extradition request by February 19, 2026.
The case has been adjourned to Thursday, April 27, at 1:00 p.m., when the tribunal will review both the bail application and any submitted documents. Until then, Mr. Ofori-Atta will remain in ICE detention.
His detention was first reported on January 7 by his Ghanaian legal representatives, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners (MPOBB), who confirmed that he had been taken into custody on January 6 over concerns about his immigration status.
“The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as of January 6, 2026, detained the former Minister for Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, regarding the status of his current stay in the United States,” the firm stated in a public notice signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, Esq.
According to his lawyers, Mr. Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a legal process that allows individuals to remain in the U.S. beyond the validity of their visa. They emphasised that he is “a law-abiding person” fully cooperating with U.S. authorities.
Official records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security indicate that he is currently being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia.
The development has drawn attention in Ghana, especially considering Mr. Ofori-Atta’s recent medical history. He has been in the U.S. since January 2025, seeking treatment for prostate cancer, and underwent a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on June 13, 2025, after tests showed disease progression.
Sources say he had been under medical observation for weeks prior to surgery and is also managing post-COVID multi-system inflammatory response syndrome, diagnosed in February 2021.
Mr. Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2023, overseeing the country’s economy through the COVID-19 pandemic, debt restructuring, and IMF negotiations.
In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor charged him and several others with corruption and related offences. That case is currently at the case management conference stage.
