Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over questions regarding his immigration status, his legal team has confirmed.
In a statement, his lawyers said Mr Ofori-Atta is fully cooperating with ICE while they work with US authorities to resolve the matter swiftly. According to the statement, he has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a routine immigration process under US law that allows an individual to remain in the country legally beyond the expiration of an initial visa. His legal team expressed confidence that the issue will be resolved without delay.
The detention comes amid serious health challenges that have kept Mr Ofori-Atta in the United States since January 2025. He has been receiving medical care after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, a condition confirmed in March 2025 following MRI scans and a biopsy that indicated disease progression.
On Friday, June 13, he underwent a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Medical professionals described the surgery as a critical intervention after tests showed increased cancer spread within the prostate. Family sources say he had been under close medical supervision in the US for several weeks prior to the procedure.
In addition to cancer treatment, Mr Ofori-Atta has also been managing post-COVID Multi-System Inflammatory Response Syndrome, a condition first diagnosed in February 2021, which has required ongoing medical monitoring.
Mr Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2023, a tenure marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic challenges, debt restructuring, and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
His stay in the United States has also coincided with legal proceedings in Ghana. In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor charged him and others with corruption and related offences. The case is currently at the case management conference stage.
The statement emphasised that Mr Ofori-Atta remains a law-abiding citizen and is working closely with US immigration officials to regularise his status while continuing his medical recovery.
