Ghanaians are now relieved because Ofori-Atta is finally coming home — UP Women’s Organiser

The Women’s Organiser of the United Party (UP), Hajia Gloria Amenu, has said Ghanaians are hopeful that the embattled former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, may soon return to face his corruption charges.

The United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Mr. Ofori-Atta on Tuesday, January 6, over the status of his stay in the United States.

“Mr. Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorises a person to stay in the US legally beyond the validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common,” his lawyers said in a statement.

The detention, however, is not directly related to the extradition request submitted to the US Department of Justice by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s New Day show on Thursday, January 8, Hajia Amenu said the development indicates that Ofori-Atta may soon return to Ghana to answer the charges against him.

“We Ghanaian youth, Ghanaian citizens, are finally starting to feel at ease because Ken is coming home. It has been almost a year that we didn’t even know his whereabouts. Now we know where he is. We’ve already submitted our extradition request, and ICE has taken him into custody. Let’s connect the dots.

“This is not something we will sit back and ignore, thinking he is not coming. We are now saying that, definitely, Ken is coming home. We are trusting the US government,” she said.

According to Hajia Amenu, the return of Mr. Ofori-Atta, which is of public interest, should be part of the campaign messages of New Patriotic Party flagbearer aspirants to demonstrate their commitment to accountability.