ICE medically cleared Ken Ofori-Atta for detention – Ghana's US Ambassador

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has disclosed that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was medically fit to be held in detention.

According to Smith, in a JoyNews interview on January 12, 2026, ICE subjected Ofori-Atta to medical assessment before making a decision on his detention status.

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“Yes, the ICE people confirmed that he was all right. Initially, they had medical people to determine whether he was fit to be held in the detention centre, and they were convinced and were assured that he was okay,” he disclosed.

He further clarified that although Ofori-Atta was on medication, he was not under the active care of a doctor at the time of the assessment.

“He was on medication, but he wasn't seeing any doctor at the time, and he had his medication, so he could be put in the detention centre,” he stated.

Victor Smith’s comments follow the January 6, 2026, arrest and detention of Ken Ofori-Atta by ICE in Washington DC.

Meanwhile, Victor Smith has said that the arrest and detention of Ofori-Atta involved both ICE and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to Ambassador Victor Smith, the involvement of the FBI suggests that the case goes beyond simple immigration issues.

Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States details role of FBI in Ken Ofori-Atta’s case

“I suspect it’s a combination of these two factors. ICE normally handles immigration issues, but when the FBI gets involved, then there must be some criminality or an Interpol request triggering a red alert,” he said.