By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
Legal analyst Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers says former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta acted within his constitutional rights by refusing to meet Ghanaian embassy officials in the United States without his lawyers present.
Mr Brako-Powers made the comment following Ofori-Atta’s detention by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 6, 2026, after the former minister declined consular access requested by the Ghanaian Embassy, insisting on legal representation.
In a press release dated January 10, 2026, and signed by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, the Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC, confirmed that Mr Ofori-Atta had been taken into custody by ICE and had opted not to engage embassy officials without his lawyers present.
Mr Brako-Powers argued that Ofori-Atta’s caution is justified, particularly amid intense public commentary and media narratives that have portrayed him as guilty despite not being arraigned before any court of competent jurisdiction.
