Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has revealed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s U.S. visa expired in November 2025, leaving him without lawful status to remain in the country and paving the way for immigration proceedings that could result in his return to Ghana.
The Ambassador said U.S. authorities had confirmed that Mr Ofori-Atta held three Ghanaian passports, dispelling earlier speculation that he possessed travel documents from another country. Ambassador Smith noted that the ‘fugitive’ ex-minister’s nationality would not be in dispute before an immigration judge and that the absence of a valid visa provided “the easiest way” for U.S. authorities to facilitate his return.
“They said three passports and none of them was any other country but Ghana’s passport. So I take it that that matter is settled. He’s a Ghanaian. Okay, so there won’t be a problem before the immigration judge to determine his nationality. Now, there is no basis to keep him here longer because his visa is out of status. He doesn’t have a visa to remain in this country. That is the easiest way to take him back to his country.” he stated.
The Ambassador’s account, however, contrasts with claims made by Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, who has publicly stated that Mr Ofori-Atta’s visa was formally revoked by U.S. authorities, rather than merely expiring.
Dr Ayine has argued that the revocation, which he said occurred months earlier, was a decisive factor in the former minister’s loss of legal immigration status. While the Embassy in Washington confirmed that it delivered an extradition request from the Government of Ghana to the U.S. Department of Justice on December 29, 2025, Smith said no formal feedback had been received prior to Mr Ofori-Atta’s arrest, making it unclear whether the extradition request or immigration enforcement triggered the action. He suggested, however, that the involvement of the FBI, alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pointed to a Department of Justice directive.
Mr. Ofori-Atta, who served as Minister for Finance from 2017 to 2023, has been in the United States since January 2025 for medical treatment after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, undergoing surgery and ongoing care. His detention comes amid continued legal and public scrutiny linked to his prolonged stay and unresolved legal matters relating to Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The former minister is facing allegations of financial misconduct and was declared a wanted person by the OSP in February 2025 after failing to appear for questioning in multiple high-profile corruption investigations. He was later placed on INTERPOL’s Red Notice list in mid-2025 after not returning to Ghana as required by authorities.
In December 2025, Ghana’s Attorney-General confirmed that a formal extradition request for Ofori-Atta and an alleged associate had been transmitted to U.S. authorities to answer corruption-related charges in Ghana. These extradition proceedings are ongoing, with government officials indicating that all procedural requirements have been fulfilled and that the U.S. Department of Justice is continuing its review.
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