Former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been released from the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States of America following a court order.
Mr. Ofori-Atta’s bail bond is believed to have been set at sixty-five thousand dollars ($65,000.00) by the court that conducted the hearing.
A statement released by his lawyers in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), dated Wednesday, 8 April 2026, and signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, confirmed the development.
“On 7 April 2026, Ken Ofori-Atta was released from ICE detention pursuant to judicial order. He is home with his family
“Mr. Ofori-Atta remains fully committed to use due process in defense of his rights as guaranteed under the constitution and laws of the United States,” the MPOBB statement read.
“He and his family remain thankful to God and all those who have offered prayers and support during this period,” the MPOBB statement further read.
Background
Ken Ofori-Atta has been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States of America following an immigration hearing held on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, pending further proceedings on his bail application.
The hearing was conducted in private at the request of Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team, who applied for bail on his behalf. The state opposed the application, arguing that bail should be refused because Ghana has submitted an extradition request for the former finance minister.
Judge David A Gardey adjourned the US Immigration case against Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta to 1 pm on Thursday 27 April, but the government has been given until 19 February 2026 to provide evidence of the extradition proceedings.
The presiding judge declined to rule on the extradition argument at this stage, noting that no documentary evidence had been placed before the tribunal to substantiate the claim that Ofori-Atta is currently the subject of extradition proceedings.
In his ruling, the judge directed the federal government to produce evidence of any such extradition application on or before 19 February 2026.
The tribunal will reconvene at the end of that period to hear the bail application alongside any documentation the government may file and will then deliver a substantive ruling. Until then, Ken Ofori-Atta will remain in ICE detention.
Detained
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States of America (USA) detained the former finance minister on 6 January 2026. Lawyers for Ofori-Atta in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners (MPOBB), made the announcement in a public notice.
The public notice from MPOBB, issued on 7 January and signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, Esq, noted that the detention resulted from challenges regarding the status of Ken Ofori-Atta’s continued stay in the United States.
“The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as of [6 January 2026], detained the former Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, regarding the status of his current stay in the United States. His US legal team is in contact with ICE and expects the matter to be resolved expeditiously.
“Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorises a person to stay in the US legally past the period of validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common,” the public notice by MPOBB said.
“The public is, therefore, advised to note that he is a law-abiding person and is fully cooperating with ICE to have this issue resolved. His legal team is in contact with ICE and working to resolve the matter as expeditiously as possible,” the notice from Ofori-Atta’s lawyers further said.
According to the official website of the US Department of Homeland Security, Ofori-Atta is in ICE custody at the Caroline Detention Facility located at 11093 SW Lewis Memorial Drive, Bowling Green, VA 22427.
Health Issues
Ken Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2025 for medical treatment. He had surgery in the US following a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
The procedure, a radical prostatectomy, took place on 13 June 2025 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Medical sources described the surgery as a crucial step after recent tests revealed signs of the cancer’s progression.
Doctors reportedly confirmed the diagnosis in March 2025 after MRI scans and a biopsy detected an increased spread of cancer cells.
Ofori-Atta had been receiving treatment and undergoing monitoring in the US for several weeks before the operation, sources close to the family said.
He had also been managing post-COVID multi-system inflammatory response syndrome, initially diagnosed in February 2021 – a condition that has required constant medical oversight.
Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2023, playing a key role in the country’s economic management during a turbulent period that included the COVID-19 pandemic and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor charged him and others with corruption and corruption-related offences. The trial is at the case management conference stage.
