Private legal practitioner and social activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has shared new details about the release of former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, from a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.

According to him, his own investigations into the former minister’s release by US authorities revealed that he was granted bail set at a substantial amount.

US ICE labels Ken Ofori-Atta as 'illegal alien' - Report

He said this information was provided by his sources within the US Department of Justice.

“I have been looking a bit more into the whole Ken Ofori-Atta debacle. And from what I am hearing from contacts within the US Department of Justice, he was released on a $65,000 bond,” he disclosed on his Facebook page on Friday, April 10, 2026.

Barker-Vormawor further stated that the decision to release Ofori-Atta was based on his ill health, adding that he is also being treated as a “flight risk.”

“The decision was based on health grounds, though he is being treated as a flight risk,” he revealed.

He said an electronic monitoring device has been placed on Ofori-Atta’s ankle to track and restrict his movements while on bail.

He added that the former minister has been given a limited range within which he can move and is required to report regularly to ICE.

“He has been fitted with an electronic monitoring device on his ankle; can’t travel or move outside a defined parameter and is required to report regularly to ICE. His next immigration hearing has been scheduled for 27th April,” he indicated.

Barker-Vormawor, however, questioned the motive of the US authorities, alleging that their actions are obstructing Ghana’s attempts to extradite Ofori-Atta.

He also accused the US State Department of sitting on the request.

He therefore called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to demand answers over the actions of the US authorities.

“What I still don’t understand is why the US authorities are sitting on Ghana’s extradition request. They received this 3 months ago. And the AG’s department has provided them with everything necessary.

“The obstruction seems to be coming from the US State Department. I hope our Foreign Minister will ask them for answers,” he concluded.

The name of Ofori-Atta has since been removed from the detainee list of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Checks by GhanaWeb on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, found no matching records for Ofori-Atta on the ICE website, suggesting a possible change in his status.

Ghana's ex-finance minister released from US ICE detention center

The search result on the website read, "Your search has returned zero (0) matching records. Please re-check the search terms you entered to ensure they are correct and try your query again. Please remember that the system does not provide information for detainees under the age of 18. If you conducted a name-based search, only exact matches will be returned. You may want to try any name or spelling variants used by the detainee. If you are unable to find the detainee using the Online Detainee Locator System, please contact your local field office. For more information on the Missing Migrant Program, please visit [link]."



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