Former Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, and former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Mrs Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, are both in the custody of United States authorities under markedly different legal circumstances, The Herald has gathered.
Mr Ofori-Atta was arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington, D.C., and is currently being detained at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia. His detention, according to available information, is based solely on immigration concerns relating to the alleged overstay of documents authorising his presence in the United States.
Although Ghana has formally submitted an extradition request concerning Mr Ofori-Atta, U.S. sources indicate that his current detention is not linked to that request. Instead, it stems from immigration enforcement actions taken by ICE.
The former finance minister’s arrest comes amid serious criminal proceedings in Ghana. In November 2025, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) charged Mr Ofori-Atta in absentia with 78 counts of corruption and corruption-related offences, alleging his central role in a criminal enterprise that caused an estimated financial loss of US$128 million to the state.
Many of the charges arise from the controversial Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) revenue assurance contracts awarded during his tenure. The contracts, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, attracted intense scrutiny over alleged procurement breaches, weak oversight and questionable value for money.
Following his failure to honour invitations for questioning, the OSP declared Mr Ofori-Atta a fugitive from justice and secured an INTERPOL Red Notice. In December 2025, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, confirmed that Ghana had officially initiated extradition proceedings.
However, Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), has insisted that his detention is purely an immigration matter. In a public notice dated Wednesday, 7 January 2026, the firm confirmed that ICE detained him on 6 January 2026 over questions regarding the legality of his stay.
The lawyers disclosed that Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status under U.S. immigration law and said he is cooperating fully with U.S. authorities.
Despite these assurances, U.S. officials are already in contact with Ghana’s Attorney-General and officials of Ghana’s Embassy in the United States, raising questions about the timing and likelihood of Mr Ofori-Atta’s eventual extradition to face trial.
