International corporate lawyer Victoria Bright has stated that the extradition process involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and convicted former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedina Tamakloe-Attinou could take as long as three years to complete.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, January 17, Ms Bright explained that extradition cases are often prolonged due to the complex nature of international legal and diplomatic procedures.
“Extradition is a complex and lengthy process. Typically, it takes between one and three years, even when everything proceeds smoothly. So, it is not surprising that it is taking this long to extradite the suspects from the United States,” she said.
Ms Bright also commended the current government for its approach to the matter, describing its actions as diligent and consistent with established legal frameworks. She further noted that both the current and former administrations have played roles in advancing the process.
“We have to give credit to this administration for following through. The NPP has repeatedly claimed that nothing was being done because one of their own was involved, but the government has demonstrated otherwise by ensuring that both the NPP-affiliated individual, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the NDC-affiliated individual, Sedina Tamakloe-Attinou, were arrested on the same day,” she noted.
Following her arrest, Sedina Tamakloe-Attinou is expected to appear before a United States court on January 21, 2026, according to Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Victor Smith.
Meanwhile, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed that Ken Ofori-Atta overstayed his visitor visa and is therefore classified as an “illegal alien” under US immigration law.
Mr Ofori-Atta is also scheduled to appear before a US court on charges related to the possession of an invalid visa. His extradition to Ghana is expected to be determined after the conclusion of the court proceedings.
