Ken Ofori-Atta’s visa was actually revoked… I am telling you this on authority – Attorney General

The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has revealed that he had been engaging with authorities in the United States over issues involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta well before the Office of the Special Prosecutor made its public announcement on the matter.

He explained that his interactions with American investigators started earlier than recent public discussions and were not limited to speculation about Ofori-Atta’s immigration status in the United States.

“So, I started working with the Americans in respect of Ofori-Atta long before OSP came up with the announcement. I started working with them, and I want Ghanaians to know that he just didn’t overstay his visa. The visa was actually revoked… I am telling you this on authority,” he said on JoyNews on January 10, 2026.

Dr Ayine disclosed that talks with US authorities are still ongoing and said his most recent engagement with them took place only a few days before the interview.

“The last meeting that I had with the American authorities was just a few days ago,” he stated.

Explaining the basis of Ghana’s formal request, the Attorney General said the extradition process is connected to the SML investigation being pursued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

“But, of course, the extradition request that I sent was in respect of the OSP [the SML matter],” he explained.

He noted that continuous cooperation between his office and US officials resulted in the revocation of Ofori-Atta’s visa.

“I have been working with the Americans diligently on him, and the visa was revoked, and that how comes that he lost his immigration status in the United States,” he said.

Dr Ayine further confirmed that Ofori-Atta’s arrest by officers of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was linked directly to the extradition request and not to a simple case of overstaying his visa.

“The visa was actually revoked. So, it’s not that Ofori-Atta overstayed. So, in July, the American State Department revoked his visa, and they gave him up to November 29 (sic) to leave the United States. He did not. And then, that how comes that they decided they were going to now pursue him and arrest him.

“Actually, the arrest was supposed to occur on January 4th [2026], and they did not do so, but on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, they apprehended him in the Virginia area and took him into custody,” he explained…CONTINUE MORE READING>>>