The United States has reaffirmed its willingness to cooperate with Ghana on ongoing extradition cases involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, according to Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The assurance was given during a bilateral engagement in Accra between Mr. Ablakwa and the Acting US Ambassador to Ghana, Rolf Olson, as part of broader discussions on security, law enforcement and judicial cooperation between the two countries.
Mr. Ablakwa indicated that the US government has clarified that it will not obstruct Ghana’s extradition efforts, provided due judicial processes are respected. The position, he said, reflects the strengthening legal and security partnership between Accra and Washington.
Ken Ofori-Atta, who served as Ghana’s Finance Minister, was detained in the United States in January 2026 following an extradition request filed by Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor over alleged corruption and procurement-related offences. He is currently in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as proceedings continue to assess both his immigration status and the extradition request.
Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, a former MASLOC boss, is also the subject of an extradition request. She was convicted in Ghana in 2024 for causing financial loss to the state and sentenced in absentia. The Attorney-General’s Department has confirmed that the formal extradition request submitted to the US Department of Justice in mid-2024 is still under review, pending the completion of procedural requirements.
Highlighting recent progress in bilateral cooperation, Mr. Ablakwa noted that enhanced collaboration between Ghanaian and US security agencies led to the extradition of nine suspects from Ghana to the United States in 2025, with efforts underway to facilitate the return of two high-interest Ghanaian suspects from the US.
He said the US government’s assurance not to impede the extradition of Mr. Ofori-Atta and Ms. Attionu underscores mutual respect for the rule of law and reinforces confidence in the existing legal cooperation framework between the two countries.
Both cases continue to move through separate legal channels in the United States, with Ghana maintaining that it will pursue them in accordance with international law and established extradition procedures.
