Lawyers for Ghana’s immediate former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, say he is pursuing permanent residency in the United States while contesting efforts to return him to Ghana to face corruption-related charges.

Ofori-Atta is currently being held at the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Virginia after he was arrested by immigration officials in January for overstaying his visa.

His lawyer, Enayat Qasimi, told Semafor that his client has a “pathway to residency” in the United States and intends to pursue it. He also claimed there were concerns about the independence of Ghana’s judiciary and argued that Ofori-Atta would not receive a fair trial if he returned to the country.

According to Qasimi, the former minister has been subjected to what he described as a “political witch hunt” over alleged financial misconduct during his tenure in office from 2017 to 2024.

Meanwhile, Ghana has formally requested his extradition. Officials in the United States confirmed that the request has been received. The office of the Attorney General of Ghana declined to comment on the matter.

Ofori-Atta is expected to reappear before the Annandale Immigration Court in Virginia on April 27 after proceedings on his immigration case were adjourned.

He first appeared before the court in January through a virtual hearing presided over by David Gardey, which focused on a bond redetermination and an initial review of the case.

During that session, Ofori-Atta joined the hearing from the Caroline Detention Centre, wearing a black shirt, spectacles and a nose mask.

Court documents show that his visitor visa, which was due to expire in February, was revoked by US authorities. He had earlier been directed to leave the country by November 29 last year but failed to do so, leaving him without lawful immigration status.

His legal team also requested that the bond hearing and master calendar proceedings be conducted behind closed doors because of the sensitive nature of the case. The request was granted by the judge.

In Ghana, Ofori-Atta and five other individuals are facing more than 70 criminal charges linked to several corruption investigations. One of the cases involves allegations that a contract awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Limited caused a financial loss of more than GH¢1.4 billion to the state.