Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United States, Victor Smith, has expressed disappointment after former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta declined to meet Ghanaian consular officials following his detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Smith said the Ghanaian mission had requested access to Mr Ofori-Atta to verify his welfare and ensure he was being treated in accordance with international diplomatic protocols.
“We decided to make a request to ensure that he was being treated properly, as per international protocols,” he said.
According to the High Commissioner, ICE initially agreed to allow embassy officials to visit the former minister. Preparations were made for consular officers to travel to the detention facility, but the situation changed shortly before departure.
“Just before we set out, the ICE agents came back and said the detainee had refused to meet with us without his lawyers,” Mr Smith explained.
He said that after several hours, ICE officials returned with a firmer response, indicating that Mr Ofori-Atta had declined to meet embassy representatives under any circumstances.
“They came back to us to say the detainee, being the former minister, had refused now to see us at all,” he said, adding that this brought the embassy’s involvement to an end at that stage.
Clarifying earlier reports, Mr Smith stated that consular officers never travelled to the detention centre. Instead, ICE officials visited his office to relay the former minister’s position.
“They had initially indicated during a phone conversation that the way was clear for us to go,” he said. “But moments before departure, they informed us that the detainee was unwilling to see us without his lawyers.”
After waiting several hours, ICE returned with a final response.
“He was adamant. He wasn’t going to see us under any circumstance,” Mr Smith said.
The High Commissioner described the decision as disappointing on both a personal and official level.
“We’re a bit disappointed, because I know Ken personally,” he said. “He may not be my friend, but I know him.”
Mr Smith noted that no one had visited Mr Ofori-Atta at the time and that the embassy’s intention was simply to hear directly from him in case he had concerns that required assistance.
“Being a Ghanaian and our responsibility, so to speak, in a host country, we felt it was important to at least hear from him,” he said. “So shutting the door in our face was unfortunate.”
Addressing concerns about Mr Ofori-Atta’s health and detention conditions, Mr Smith said ICE had assured the embassy that the former minister underwent a medical assessment prior to detention.
“They had medical personnel determine whether he was fit to be held in the detention centre,” he said.
According to Mr Smith, ICE confirmed that Mr Ofori-Atta is on medication and has access to it while in detention. He added that ICE detention facilities are equipped with fully staffed medical centres and expressed satisfaction with the explanations provided.
“They were very welcoming and said, ‘come and see for yourself,’” he said, adding that ICE officials were open to transparency.
Background
Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement over questions relating to his immigration status.
His legal team has confirmed that he is cooperating fully with ICE as efforts continue to resolve the matter. According to a statement, Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a process under US law that allows an individual to remain legally in the country beyond the validity of an initial visa.
