Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta was arrested on January 6th, 2020, in Washington, D.C., by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has since been held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia, as Ghana has made an official request for his extradition, authorities report.
The 66-year-old Ghana Ex finance minister has detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on or around 6th January, prosecutors say.
Arrest and custody
According to ICE records, they arrested Ofori-Atta at 11:00 am from an apartment in Washington DC. Moreover, the ICE online detainee locator platform showed his arrest and till January 11, 2026. he remains “in ICE custody”. Ghana’s Atty. Gen., Dominic Ayine, confirmed that there is currently private counsel appointed to represent Ofori-Atta, and that Frank Davies is serving as Ofori-Atta’s counsel.
In addition, Ofori-Atta is suing the government to challenge the legality of his arrest because he was in the U.S. for medical purposes. Ofori-Atta’s ambassador to the U.S., Victor Emmanuel Smith, issued a press release on January 10 confirming that Ofori-Atta has declined consular services while he is in custody.
Extradition request and US review
On December 10, 2025, Ghana made a formal request for extradition to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), which is currently reviewing the request for dual criminality doctrine, the alleged crimes in Ghana must also be able to be prosecuted in the United States. According to the AG of Ghana, the U.S. Department of State revoked Ofori-Atta’s visa in 2025; that is, the reason for the revocation of the visa was “visa revocation” as opposed to “overstay, and therefore, and “expiration”, thus, reason for the US federal government to take enforcement action.
Charges and allegations
Of these, 78 charges of corruption and corruption-related offenses have been leveled against him by the Ghanaian Office of the Special Prosecutor, and he was formally charged on November 18, 2025. These corruption offenses were all linked to several deals worth GHS 125 million between the Ghana Revenue Authority and Strategic Mobilization Limited, among them, the National Cathedral Project, ambulance deals for the Ministry of Health, and several contracts for the Electricity Company of Ghana. The Special Prosecutor is pursuing the government’s Operation Recover All Loots initiative to recover stolen funds.
National Cathedral and other highprofile claims
The National Cathedral Project investigation disclosed that the original private fund raising estimate of US $100 million has risen to US $400 million due to the voiding of the contract awarded to Ribade Company, Ltd. as a result of their violation of the procurement regulations. It was also concluded that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta did in fact authorize the release of a payment of US $58 million in state funds for the project. Additional allegations include the procurement of ambulances, as well as the termination of a contract with Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology.
Legal and Political Context
As per Ghana’s authorities, they issued a judicial arrest warrant against Ofori-Atta at June 2025. As accused was not available in the country so they also obtained an Interpol red notice for the accused. This Interpol red notice was originally publicly available on Interpol’s website; however, due in part to a legal challenge, the notice is not seen by the public. The extradition process in Ghana involving Ofori-Atta will be based on the Extradition Act of 1960, where there is a prohibition on the extradition for politically motivated offenses, and a magistrate will determine whether the request was politically motivated. This is merely another part of the anti-corruption movement in Ghana by the newly elected National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, who created an operation known as “Operation Recover All Loots” after completing the 2024 election cycle and have stated that a focus will be on retrieving misappropriated funds.
Next Actions
The US DOJ will review the extradition file for Ghanas and dual criminality prior to proceeding with any transfer. Ofori-Atta’s legal team filed a number of motions in US courts challenging his custody, while authorities in Ghana have continued to pursue his return to Ghana to stand trial.
