By Ashiadey Dotse
Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to appear before a United States immigration court on June 15, 2026, in a case that could affect both his stay in America and Ghana’s efforts to bring him back to face criminal charges.
According to court records, the hearing will take place at 1:00 pm before Judge David A. Gardey at the Annandale Immigration Court. The session is expected to be held virtually.
The upcoming hearing follows his release from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 7, after a court granted him bail set at $65,000. His Ghanaian legal team confirmed at the time that he had reunited with his family and would continue to defend his rights through legal processes in the United States.
Mr Ofori-Atta is said to have entered the US on May 28, 2025, on a visitor’s visa that expired in November 2025. He reportedly remained in the country beyond the permitted period, leading to his arrest in January 2026 in Washington, D.C.
Authorities in Accra are seeking his return to face more than 70 criminal charges alongside five others as part of ongoing corruption investigations. Some of the allegations are linked to the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited contract.
His US-based lawyer, Enayat Qasimi, has argued that his client is pursuing legal means to remain in the United States, including seeking residency. He has also raised concerns about whether the former minister would receive a fair trial in Ghana, describing the case against him as politically motivated.
Mr Ofori-Atta served under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from 2017 to early 2024 and was a key figure in the New Patriotic Party administration. His tenure included Ghana’s 2023 IMF bailout programme but was also marked by criticism over the country’s debt crisis and the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
The June 15 hearing is expected to go beyond earlier procedural sessions, with the court likely to examine the substance of his immigration case. The outcome could determine whether he remains in the US or is returned to Ghana to face trial.
