Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, is scheduled to appear before the Annandale Immigration Court in Virginia on June 15, 2026, for a virtual hearing as he seeks to regularise his stay in the Ud States.
Presided over by Immigration Judge, David A. Gardey, the case centres on alleged visa overstay and Mr Ofori-Atta’s attempt to secure permanent residency.
He is currently on $65,000 bail after spending three weeks in custody following his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2026.
Mr Ofori-Atta, who travelled to the United States on January 4, 2025, for medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, reportedly remained in the country after his visa expired on February 14, 2026.
He has maintained his innocence in the immigration case.
At the same time, he faces mounting legal pressure from Ghana, where he has been declared a fugitive by the Office of the Special Prosecutor over alleged corruption and procurement breaches.
He, along with Strategic Mobilisation Limited and six others, has been charged with 78 counts, including causing a financial loss of GH¢1.4 billion to the state.
The case is currently before the High Court in Accra.
Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akurutinga Ayine, is pursuing extradition proceedings to have Mr Ofori-Atta returned to face trial.
However, his lawyer, Enayat Qasimi, told U.S.-based news outlet, Semafor, that his client is instead pursuing a “pathway to residency” in the United States.
He argued that there are serious concerns about judicial independence in Ghana, describing the charges as a “political witch hunt” and suggesting that Mr Ofori-Atta may not receive a fair trial if extradited.
Before his arrest, Mr Ofori-Atta lived with his family at the upscale Westlight apartment complex in Washington, D.C., located in the city’s West End, near the White House.
The outcome of the case will depend on both U.S. immigration rulings and the ongoing extradition request from Ghana.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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