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The United States grants permanent residency to the fugitive former Ghanaian finance minister

Auteur: AFP

il y a 4 mois 9042 Lectures 6 Commentaires | Français

Les États-Unis accordent la résidence permanente à l'ex-ministre des Finances ghanéen en fuite

The United States has granted permanent residency to former Ghanaian finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, his lawyer announced Tuesday, ending a case that had led to his arrest by US immigration authorities.

Aged 66, Mr. Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since January 2025 to receive medical treatment, including surgery for prostate cancer.

Last January, however, he was arrested by immigration services because of "his current residency status", his lawyers indicated, and not in connection with the legal proceedings initiated against him in Ghana.

The former minister was indeed declared a fugitive there in February 2025, before being officially charged with corruption in November of the same year.

In early 2026, he was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while requesting an extension of his stay in the United States.

"Ken Ofori-Atta's application for a green card (form I-485) has been approved by the U.S. Immigration Court," his attorney, Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, said in a statement Tuesday.

"The court considers that the criminal charges brought against him in Ghana are not credible," he stated, while specifying that the decision "essentially concerned whether Mr. Ofori-Atta met the legal requirements for adjusting his status with immigration."

The office of the special prosecutor of Ghana indicated, in a message published on Facebook, that it had taken note of the decision of the US immigration services.

"Mr. Ofori-Atta retains Ghanaian citizenship and can still be extradited to Ghana if the competent extradition jurisdiction in the United States so decides," the office said.

Ken Ofori-Atta served as Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024 under President Nana Akufo-Addo, overseeing controversial tax reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Ghanaian authorities accuse him of allowing the use of public funds for the controversial project to build an imposing national cathedral.

This cathedral, conceived by former president Nana Akufo-Addo as a gift to God after his victory in the 2016 presidential election, was to be financed by private funds.

However, revelations indicating that 58 million of public funds were allegedly used have sparked intense controversy.

In addition to financing the cathedral project, Mr. Ofori-Atta is accused of being involved in the signing of a controversial contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), a company specializing in auditing and assurance in the oil sector.

In 2019, the GRA allegedly paid over $83 million to SML under the supervision of Mr. Ofori-Atta, without obtaining the required legal approval from the Public Procurement Authority.

The current Ghanaian president, John Mahama, has launched an anti-corruption campaign; his critics accuse him of unfairly targeting his political opponents.

Auteur: AFP
Publié le: Mercredi 17 Juin 2026 à 13h18

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Karim-USA ⭐ Top commentaire il y a 4 mois

Le jour où les Africains comprendront le racisme international, ce sera le début du développement. Seuls les noirs Américains l’ont compris et ils se portent lieux que nous. Limitons l’influence de occidentaux dans nos pays à commencer par la France.
Drôle il y a 4 mois

Yow wakh rek
@ Drôle il y a 4 mois

Ki dafa woddo lamignam.
Sérigne il y a 4 mois

Il est riche comme Crésus. Et voila ce qui compte,« khaliss moy dollé ak baraka»
C'est ça il y a 4 mois

Une façon de récupérer les sous qu'il a subtilisés
Xeme il y a 4 mois

Une recrue, réutilisable contre son pays. On le garde (nourri, blanchi), on va voir ce qu'on pourra en faire demain.

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