Frank Davies, a member of the legal team for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, has pushed back against the Foreign Affairs Minister’s suggestion that the United States will not stand in the way of Mr. Ofori-Atta’s extradition.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, Mr. Davies described the Minister’s remarks as premature and potentially misleading, insisting that Ghana is nowhere near the extradition stage under U.S. law.
His comments come after Mr. Ablakwa disclosed that the U.S. government has assured Ghana of its cooperation in the possible extradition of Mr. Ofori-Atta and former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, as part of ongoing bilateral engagements.
But according to Mr. Davies, such assurances should not be interpreted as an indication that extradition is imminent.
“If we all understand due process, I didn’t think it was useful for the Foreign Minister to come out to say what he said,” he stated.
He added, “Ghana is nowhere close to extradition. Not at all. There’s a far yard and rope. We are not close.”
Mr. Ofori-Atta was detained in the United States in January 2026 following a formal extradition request by the government over corruption and procurement-related charges being pursued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
He is currently being held by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while proceedings continue.
Mr. Davies cautioned against conflating Mr. Ofori-Atta’s ICE detention with the extradition process itself.
He outlined the legal steps required for a lawful extradition.
According to him, extradition begins with a formal request submitted by the requesting state, Ghana, to the requested state, the United States. U.S. authorities must then assess whether the request satisfies treaty and legal requirements.
Only after this assessment can an arrest be effected specifically for extradition purposes.
He explained that the matter must then proceed to a U.S. court, where a federal judge, not an immigration court, determines whether the extradition request is lawful.
If the court upholds the request, the final stage involves the surrender of the individual to the requesting state.
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