Private legal practitioner and social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has disclosed fresh details about the release of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, claiming the former minister was granted bail on health grounds but remains classified as a flight risk.
In a Facebook post on Friday, April 10, 2026, Barker-Vormawor, who said he gathered the information from contacts within the US Department of Justice, stated that Mr Ofori-Atta was released on a $65,000 bond.
According to him, the decision was based on health considerations, even as US authorities continue to treat the former minister as a potential flight risk.
“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,” Barker-Vormawor wrote.
He added that Mr Ofori-Atta’s next immigration hearing has been scheduled for April 27, 2026.
The activist, however, expressed concern over what he described as delays in processing Ghana’s extradition request for Mr Ofori-Atta, which he said was submitted to US authorities three months ago.
“The AG’s department has provided them with everything necessary. What I still don’t understand is why the US authorities are sitting on Ghana’s extradition request,” he stated.
Barker-Vormawor suggested that the perceived obstruction may be coming from the US State Department and expressed hope that Ghana’s Foreign Minister would seek answers from American counterparts.
The claims come days after Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team confirmed his release from ICE custody. In a statement issued on April 8, 2026, his solicitor, Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, announced that the former minister was freed on April 7 pursuant to a judicial order and has since reunited with his family in the United States.
Mr Ofori-Atta had been in ICE custody since January 2026 over immigration-related matters, even as Ghana pursues his extradition on multiple corruption-related charges.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has confirmed that Ghana’s formal extradition packet was submitted to the US authorities in December 2025 through diplomatic channels and has since been received by the US Department of Justice.
