A leading member of the United Party, Hopeson Adorye, has said that the arrest and detention of Ken Ofori-Atta, a former Minister of Finance, by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has brought disgrace to the New Patriotic Party.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews, and monitored by GhanaWeb on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, he urged Ofori-Atta to return to Ghana to face justice.
“First and foremost, he (Ofori-Atta) has brought disgrace to the party. It is better for him to come and clear his name so that the doubt, the tag that is on the NPP, will be removed,” he noted.
Ken Ofori-Atta arrested and detained in the US
According to Hopeson Adorye, the embattled former minister decided to evade justice by leaving the country.
“This is a party being accused of looting, corruption, and all that. And the chief architect of the then government, the finance minister, I mean, decided to run away,” he remarked.
ICE has published details of Ofori-Atta’s detention on its website, confirming that he is being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia.
He is expected to appear in a US court on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Government files extradition request for Ken Ofori-Atta
Ofori-Atta was picked up by ICE over issues related to his status of stay in the United States.
According to a statement by his lawyers in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), Ofori-Atta had applied for an adjustment of his status.
“Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorises a person to stay in the US legally past the period of validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common,” it added.
JKB/AE
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