Lawyers for Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, say he is pursuing permanent residency in the United States rather than returning to Ghana, where he fears he may not receive a fair trial over corruption charges filed against him.
Mr Ofori-Atta is currently being held at an immigration detention facility in Virginia after being arrested by officials of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in January for overstaying his visa.
His lawyer, Enayat Qasimi, said the former minister has a pathway to residency in the United States and intends to pursue it.
According to Qasimi, his client believes he may not receive a fair trial in Ghana due to what he described as political persecution.
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“There are serious questions about the independence of the Ghanaian judiciary,” Qasimi said, claiming Mr Ofori-Atta had been subjected to a political witch hunt over allegations relating to his tenure as finance minister.
Mr Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024.
Meanwhile, government has submitted an extradition request to the United States seeking the return of the former minister to face prosecution.
However, the office of the Office of the Attorney General of has declined to comment on the matter.
Mr Ofori-Atta is expected to reappear before the Annandale Immigration Court in Virginia on April 27 after proceedings regarding his immigration status were adjourned.
He first appeared before the court in January during a virtual hearing presided over by Judge David Gardey.
The hearing focused on a bond redetermination request and an initial review of the case.
Mr Ofori-Atta joined the proceedings from the Caroline Detention Center, appearing in a black shirt, spectacles and a nose mask.
Court documents indicate that his visitor visa, which was due to expire in February, was revoked by US authorities.
He had reportedly been instructed to leave the United States by November 29 last year but failed to comply, leaving him without lawful immigration status.
During the hearing, his lawyers successfully requested that the bond hearing and master calendar proceedings be held behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of the case.
The judge granted the request.
Back in Ghana, Mr Ofori-Atta and five others are facing more than 70 criminal charges linked to multiple corruption investigations.
One of the key cases involves allegations that a contract awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) resulted in a financial loss of more than GH¢1.4 billion to the state.