America grants permanent residency to fugitive Ghanaian minister

Written by: Ayman Ragab

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

Atta is 66 years old and has been in the United States since January 2025 to receive medical treatment, including surgery to treat prostate cancer.

But last January, he was arrested by the immigration department because of his “current status of residence,” his lawyers said, and not in connection with the legal proceedings against him in Ghana.

It was already announced that the former minister was a fugitive there in February 2025, before he was formally charged with corruption in November of the same year.

In early 2026, he was arrested by agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while applying to extend 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, Judge Kosi Minca Primo, said in a statement Tuesday.

“The court finds that the criminal charges against him in Ghana lack credibility,” he stated, explaining that the decision “is primarily about whether Mr. Ofori-Atta has met the legal requirements to adjust his immigration status.”.

Ken Ofori-Atta served as finance minister from 2017 to 2024 under President Nana Akufo-Addo, where he oversaw controversial tax reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.

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

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

However, the revelation of the misuse of 58 million in public funds sparked widespread controversy.

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

In 2019, it was alleged that the General Revenue Authority paid more than $83 million to SML under the supervision of Mr. Ofori Atta, without obtaining the required legal approval from the General Procurement Authority.

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