Ghana’s former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been granted permanent residency in the United States, his lawyer announced. The decision comes after months of immigration proceedings following his arrest by US authorities. Sources say Ofori-Atta, 66, has been in the US since January 2025 for medical treatment, including prostate cancer surgery. In January 2026, he was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while seeking to extend his stay, according to his attorneys. His lawyers argued the detention was tied to his immigration status rather than to the criminal case in Ghana. Ghanaian authorities declared him a fugitive in February 2025 and later filed corruption-related charges in November 2025. In US immigration court, his application for a “green card” was approved. The court reportedly assessed whether he met permanent residency requirements and found Ghana’s charges “not credible,” focusing on immigration eligibility rather than adjudicating the Ghanaian case. Ofori-Atta previously served as finance minister from 2017 to 2024.
US grants permanent residency to Ghana ex-finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta
Ghana’s former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been granted permanent residency in the United States, his lawyer announced. The decision comes after months of immigration proceedings following his...
- Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s former finance minister, receives permanent residency in the United States, according to his lawyer.
- He has been in the US since January 2025 for medical treatment, including prostate cancer surgery.
- US immigration authorities detained him in January 2026 while he sought to extend his stay, with his attorneys saying it was immigration-status related.
- Ghana declared him a fugitive in February 2025 and later brought corruption charges in November 2025.
- US immigration court approves his green card application, reportedly finding Ghana’s charges not credible for immigration purposes.
The United States has granted permanent residency to Ghana’s former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, his lawyer announced Tuesday, ending months of legal uncertainty after his arrest by immigration authorities.Ofori-Atta, 66, has lived in the US since January 2025, where he underwent medical treatment including prostate cancer surgery. In January this year, however, he was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while seeking to extend his stay. His attorneys stressed that the arrest was linked to his immigration status, not his legal troubles in Ghana.Ghanaian authorities had declared Ofori-Atta a fugitive in February 2025 and later charged him with corruption in November. Despite this, his attorney Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo confirmed that the US Immigration Court approved his Green Card application, ruling that “the criminal charges in Ghana [were] not credible."The court’s decision, he added, focused strictly on whether Ofori-Atta met the requirements for permanent residency.Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under former president Nana Akufo-Addo, overseeing controversial tax reforms and IMF negotiations. His successor, President John Mahama, has launched a sweeping anti-corruption drive, though critics argue it disproportionately targets political opponents.
2 months agoThe United States has granted permanent residency to Ghana’s Ken Ofori-Atta, his lawyer said Tuesday, capping a saga that saw the fugitive ex-finance minister arrested by immigration authorities. Ofori-Atta, 66, has been in the United States since January last year to receive medical treatment including prostate cancer surgery. In January, however, he was arrested by […]
2 months agoFugitive Ghana ex-finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been granted permanent residency in the US, his lawyer confirmed. US court found Ghana’s charges no Read More: https://punchng.com/us-grants-permanent-residency-to-fugitive-ghana-ex-finance-minister/
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