![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ken_Ofori-Atta_2019.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby Sharelle B. McNair <\/a><\/p>\n January 9, 2026<\/p>\n As speculation circulated that Ofori-Atta\u2019s arrest was connected to the extradition request, Ghanaian activist and lawyer Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor said that wasn’t the case. <\/p>\n Former Finance Minister of Ghana, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been detained<\/a> by U.S. Immigration officials over an accusation of overstaying his visa, the BBC reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ofori-Atta\u2019s legal team says their client left the African nation in 2025 due to medical reasons, and that Ghana has pushed for his extradition. The former leader\u2019s lawyers claim the request correlates to the number of allegations against him. In February 2025, Ghana prosecutors labeled Ofori-Atta a fugitive, claiming he was attempting to dodge investigators.\u00a0<\/p>\n The leader faces an abundance of charges, including conspiracy to commit procurement fraud and causing financial loss to the state\u2014all tied to his time in office, January 2017 to February 2024, when his New Patriotic Party was in control. Ofori-Atta\u2019s lawyers released a statement calling their client \u201claw-abiding\u201d and that he was in the process of applying to change his immigration status so that he could to stay in the United States \u201cpast the period of validity of [his] visa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As speculation circulated that Ofori-Atta\u2019s arrest was connected to the extradition request, Ghanaian activist and lawyer Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor said via X that wasn\u2019t the case. <\/p>\n \u201cKen Ofori-Atta was not arrested over our extradition request. He was arrested for overstaying his visa,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0\u201cHe is liable to be deported. Not extradited.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ken Ofori-Atta was not arrested over our extradition request. He was arrested for overstaying his visa. <\/p>\n He is liable to being deported. Not extradited.<\/p>\n \u2014 Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor (@barkervogues) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n He expressed<\/a> what would have happened if the former leader is shipped to Ghana. \u201cIf Ofori-Atta had come\u2026he would have been given bail there and there; no matter the amount of Ghana money he would be accused of stealing,\u201d Barker-Vormawor continued.\u00a0\u201cBail refusal in Ghana is only for poor people charged with low-level misdemeanor offenses. Now see?\u201d<\/p>\n If Ofori-Atta had come. He would have been given bail there and there; no matter the amount of Ghana money he will be accused of stealing. <\/p>\n Bail refusal in Ghana is only for poor people charged with low level misdemeanour offenses. Now see?<\/p>\n \u2014 Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor (@barkervogues) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In December, John Mahama from the National Democratic Congress was elected president and pledged to crack down on corruption.\u00a0 Ofori-Atta\u2019s attorney, Enayat Qasimi previously told the BBC that his client was \u201ccommitted to fully complying with the laws of Ghana and\u2026answering for anything he did when he was finance minister.\u201d<\/p>\n The news comes less than a week after the United States thrust itself into Venezuela\u2019s national affairs. While Ghana and the U.S. have decent ties, the African nation condemned the \u201cinvasion\u201d that resulted in the capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, describing it as an \u201cabduction.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED CONTENT: Ghana\u2019s Move To Pivot From \u2018Detty December\u2019 To Heritage Tourism<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t