Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta reportedly relied on videos of protests held outside the United States Embassy in Accra to support his claim that his life would be in danger if he returned to Ghana.

Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, disclosed this in an interview on Channel One TV on November 2, 2026.

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He said the videos were presented as part of Ofori-Atta’s immigration case, in which the former minister argued that he would not be safe in Ghana and could not receive a fair trial.

The protests took place before Ofori-Atta was arrested in the US, with demonstrators gathering outside the US Embassy in Accra to demand his return to Ghana.

According to Smith, footage of the demonstrations was used to support Ofori-Atta’s claim that he faced threats to his safety if he was deported.

“Because, of course, when people went to picket around the US Embassy; if you remember the day that he was arrested, people went there demanding that Ken be brought back, so those videos were used to say that his life would be in danger. He wouldn't get a fair trial,” he said.

Smith explained that Ofori-Atta’s immigration case was separate from Ghana’s efforts to extradite him to face prosecution.

He said the stay of deportation granted to the former minister did not bring the extradition process to an end, adding that it remained active.

“There are two issues here and people don't understand. There's the immigration aspect, which has granted him a stay, then there's the extradition aspect that is being done by the Justice Department,” he explained.

He further disclosed that the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, and officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had travelled to the US for meetings on Ghana’s extradition request.

“I was here when the Attorney General and the EOCO came here. We went to meetings on that one. They are working on it. It's too early to determine that we have a case to have him,” he stated.

Smith explained that the extradition process involved Ghana presenting evidence to the US Department of Justice to support its request for Ofori-Atta to be returned to face prosecution.

“Now that has to do with us bringing a case against an individual, in this case Ken Ofori-Atta, who has committed a crime, has done something wrong to our nation, and we want to prosecute him. If we make a good case to the Department of Justice, they will let us have him. It's much the same way that we let them have Abu Trica,” he added.

Smith maintained that Ghana was still pursuing Ofori-Atta’s extradition and expressed confidence that the US would grant the request if the country presented a strong case.

“As far as I'm concerned, the government of Ghana is still pursuing Ofori-Atta's extradition, yes,” he concluded.

About the protest

Arise Ghana details next steps after suspension of #BringBackKenOforiAtta protest

In January 2026, pressure group Arise Ghana staged a protest outside the United States Embassy in Accra, demanding that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta be returned to Ghana to face investigations over alleged financial mismanagement.

The group, dressed in red and black, gathered outside the embassy on a Tuesday morning with placards bearing inscriptions such as “Bring Ken Home” and “No Hiding Place for Corruption.”

Watch the video below:



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