US Green Card Does Not Shield Ken Ofori-Atta from Extradition – OSP Clarifies

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has clarified that a reported United States permanent residency status does not shield Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Mr Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, from facing active criminal prosecution and extradition proceedings back home.

The OSP’s intervention follows widespread media reports and a publication from a local law firm suggesting that Mr Ofori-Atta had been granted permanent residency in the United States.

According to those reports, the U.S. immigration court allegedly granted the residency because it found the criminal charges filed against him by the OSP in Ghana to be not credible.

In a rebuttal, the anti-graft agency stated that it is completely decoupled from any administrative immigration hearings involving Mr Ofori-Atta in the United States.

Instead, the OSP clarified that its active legal focus remains entirely on formal extradition proceedings, which are being channelled directly through the Attorney-General of Ghana as the central authority.

The OSP revealed that the state’s formal extradition packet has never been presented before the U.S. immigration court. Consequently, the agency noted that an immigration tribunal lacks both the access and the jurisdiction to evaluate the state’s case file.

The OSP emphasised that the sole authority to determine the credibility of the criminal charges, as well as the ultimate guilt or innocence of Mr Ofori-Atta, rests exclusively with the competent courts of law within Ghana.

Furthermore, the OSP reminded the public that Mr Ofori-Atta maintains his Ghanaian citizenship, leaving him fully amenable to mandatory repatriation.

The agency affirmed that regardless of his updated residency status in North America, he will still be extradited to face trial in Ghana if the designated U.S. extradition court so decides.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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