Politics

Former Ghana Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta Granted US Green Card

Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has just scored a massive legal win in the United States. A U.S. immigration court has officially approved his application for permanent residency (a green card), handing him a vital shield just as the legal walls seemed to be closing in back home.

The decision came down on Monday during a tense hearing over his I-485 petition—the final hurdle to getting a green card. According to his lawyer, Frank Davies, the American judge didn’t just look at paperwork; they took a hard, critical look at the criminal investigations and corruption charges Ofori-Atta is currently facing in Ghana.

And the judge had some serious questions about how Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) handled things.

The Backstory: A "Fugitive" or a Patient?

The core of Ofori-Atta’s defense was that the OSP played unfair. The court heard that when the OSP branded him a "fugitive from justice," Ofori-Atta wasn't actually hiding—he was in the United States undergoing medical treatment. To make matters worse, his lawyers in Ghana were actively talking to investigators at the exact moment he was labeled a runaway.

His legal team even brought in an international policing and Interpol expert who essentially picked apart the OSP's tactics, arguing that Ghanaian authorities took shortcuts and bypassed standard international procedures to hunt him down.

Where Things Stand Now

Let's be clear: this U.S. ruling doesn't wipe his slate clean in Ghana. Ofori-Atta is still facing a mountain of criminal charges back home, including allegations that a controversial contract with Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) cost the Ghanaian taxpayer over GH¢1.4 billion.

The OSP is still very much on his trail. Back in June 2025, they went as far as requesting an INTERPOL Red Notice to have him arrested globally after he missed several interrogation invitations (though INTERPOL later deleted that notice).

While the trials in Accra will move forward under Ghanaian law, this U.S. ruling completely changes the game. Legal experts point out that because an American judge has now granted him legal residency—and openly questioned the motives of the Ghanaian authorities—it is going to be incredibly difficult for Ghana to extradite him.

For now, Ofori-Atta stays in the U.S., and the legal battle across two continents continues.

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