‘America doesn’t rush decisions’ – Lawyer reacts to Ofori-Atta ICE detention

Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is currently being held by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over issues relating to his immigration status, his lawyers have confirmed.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, the law firm Minkah-Premo, Osei Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners clarified that ICE’s action is purely procedural and connected to the terms of Mr Ofori-Atta’s stay in the United States.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor, acting through the Attorney-General, has formally sought his extradition to Ghana to face prosecution. U.S. authorities had earlier indicated in December that the extradition process could be lengthy.

Commenting on the development in an interview on January 8, 2026, constitutional lawyer John Quason suggested that the detention may not be coincidental. He speculated that it could be linked to Ghana’s previous cooperation with the U.S. in extraditing suspects involved in crimes such as romance fraud.

According to him, the United States often acts deliberately and methodically, noting that when it decides to take action, it does so after exhausting all other considerations.

He described Mr Ofori-Atta as having enjoyed favourable relations with U.S. authorities in the past, suggesting that this may have contributed to delays in earlier efforts to compel his return to Ghana.

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, however, cautioned against assuming that detention would automatically lead to extradition. He explained that if Mr Ofori-Atta insists on exhausting all legal avenues, the process could stretch over several months, as U.S. immigration and court systems are often burdened with long backlogs.

Policy analyst and founding president of the Imani Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, was more critical, blaming Mr Ofori-Atta’s Ghanaian legal team for the situation. He argued that his lawyers should have advised him to return to Ghana earlier, warning that U.S. authorities, especially under tougher enforcement regimes, tend to act decisively once criminal allegations emerge.

Despite the varied opinions, Mr Ofori-Atta’s Ghana-based lawyers have maintained that his U.S. legal team is actively engaging immigration officials and remains confident that the matter will be resolved swiftly through due legal processes.