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Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over questions surrounding the status of his stay in the country, his legal team has confirmed.
According to a statement released on the matter, Mr Ofori-Atta is currently cooperating fully with ICE while his lawyers engage the authorities to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
The statement explained that 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.
His legal team says this is a common immigration procedure and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously.
The development comes against the backdrop of serious health challenges that have kept the former minister in the United States since January 2025.
Mr Ofori-Atta has been undergoing medical treatment after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Medical sources say the diagnosis was confirmed in March 2025 following MRI scans and a biopsy that showed signs of cancer progression.
He subsequently underwent a radical prostatectomy on Friday, June 13, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Doctors described the surgery as a critical intervention after tests revealed an increased spread of cancer cells in the prostate.
Sources close to the family say he had been receiving treatment and undergoing close monitoring in the US for several weeks ahead of the surgery.
In addition to the cancer diagnosis, Mr Ofori-Atta has also been managing a post-COVID Multi-System Inflammatory Response Syndrome, a condition first diagnosed in February 2021, which has required ongoing medical oversight.
Mr Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2023, overseeing the economy during a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, debt distress, and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
His stay in the US has also coincided with ongoing legal troubles back home. In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor charged him and others with corruption and corruption-related offences. The case is currently at the case management conference stage.
The statement stressed that Mr Ofori-Atta remains a law-abiding individual and is working closely with US immigration authorities to regularise his status while continuing his medical recovery.
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