U.S. immigration authorities have detained Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s former Finance Minister, who is currently wanted in his home country on corruption allegations. According to his legal team, the former official has been in the United States since January 2024 to receive treatment for prostate cancer.

Ofori-Atta was declared a fugitive by Ghanaian authorities shortly before being formally charged in November 2025. In December, Ghanaian Attorney General Dominic Akuritinga Ayine announced that the government had taken the "requisite steps" to seek his extradition.

His lawyers said Ofori-Atta was taken into custody on Tuesday specifically regarding "the status of his current stay in the United States." They said that he had applied for an extension of his stay prior to being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).