Ken Ofori-Atta, Former Minister for Finance has been arrested by agents of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington, D.C., according to sources familiar with the operation.
Mr. Ofori-Atta was arrested on the morning of January 6, 2026, as he emerged from the Westlight apartment complex, a luxury residential building located in the West End neighborhood of the U.S. capital.
Sources said the arrest appeared to be a targeted operation rather than part of ICE’s routine mass enforcement actions.
Witnesses indicated that ICE agents surrounded the former minister at the entrance of the apartment building, led him into a vehicle, and transported him to the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia, approximately 89 miles from the arrest location. The detention center is about an hour and a half’s drive from Washington, D.C.
The Westlight apartment complex, located at 1111 24th Street NW, is less than a mile from the White House and is known for its high security and affluent residents. Sources say Mr. Ofori-Atta had been living at the facility with his wife and son prior to his arrest.
The building has previously housed high-profile residents, including former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who lived there before moving into office in January 2021.
Mr. Ofori-Atta, born on November 7, 1959, left Ghana on January 4, 2025, travelling from Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport aboard United Airlines Flight 997 to Washington, D.C. He is reported to have travelled on a Ghanaian passport with valid visas for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada at the time.
However, Ghana’s Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s U.S. visa was revoked in July 2025, after which the U.S. Department of State reportedly directed him to leave the country by November 29, 2025.
Lawyers for the former finance minister in Ghana have said his arrest and detention are related to “the status of his current stay in the United States.”
Mr. Ofori-Atta has been charged in Ghana with corruption and corruption-related offences in connection with the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) scandal. The Government of Ghana has formally requested his extradition from the United States to face prosecution.
Also charged in the same case is Ernest Darko Akore, born February 5, 1958, who left Ghana on November 19, 2024, travelling to New York via Delta Airlines Flight 156. Mr. Akore is reported to be in possession of a U.S. visa valid until August 4, 2031.
In July 2025, a source close to Mr. Ofori-Atta indicated that the former minister had no intention of returning to Ghana to face trial, citing concerns about possible humiliation during investigative processes.
Mr. Ofori-Atta is expected to appear before a U.S. court on January 20, 2026, in relation to his current detention.
