Private Legal practitioner Amanda Akuorkor Clinton has described the bail granted former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody as appropriate, noting that the Ghanaian senior statesman poses no risk while under supervision.
Her comments come after Ofori-Atta was granted bail by ICE following a judicial order.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story, Amanda Clinton explained that ICE’s decision to grant Ofori-Atta bail, likely with conditions such as passport surrender, regular reporting, and possible electronic monitoring, was sensible given his age and low-risk profile.
“It is good that Ofori-Atta is released from ICE because this is a slightly elderly gentleman. He poses no risk. His passport has probably been taken, they have probably got conditions on him in terms of him reporting every day or week, or maybe he even has a tag on him. So detention serves absolutely no purpose in his case,” she said.
She added that the case now shifts to the extradition request by Ghana, which may or may not be granted by U.S. authorities. Clinton noted that Ghana has a strong history of complying with U.S. extradition requests over the past year, a pattern that could influence the current proceedings.
“Ghana would likely push hard if the extradition request is not granted,” she said, emphasising the need for a balanced approach that respects diplomacy, due process, and the rule of law.
The private legal practitioner also cautioned against any perception of political motivation in handling the case, noting that fairness must be maintained to avoid setting dangerous precedents for the future.
“The government has to strike a very fine balance between enforcing the law and ensuring due process, which is not being fully managed at the moment,” she added.
Mr Ofori-Atta, whose passport has been confisticated, is scheduled to reappear in court on April 27 for deportation proceedings, as the matter continues to unfold amid missing paperwork and jurisdictional delays.
The bail grant comes after Ofori-Atta’s legal team successfully argued that without a formal extradition request from Ghana on record, the court could not legally consider him a flight risk.
His release was secured through a private bond company, reportedly for a substantial sum.
At a previous hearing in March 2026, the presiding judge had specifically requested sight of Ghana’s extradition request before determining Ofori-Atta’s bail application.
The judge signalled that such documentation would be critical to assessing whether Ofori-Atta posed a flight risk, a key factor in bail decisions.
However, according to sources familiar with the matter, the US Attorney General has not provided a copy of Ghana’s extradition request to the State Attorney for submission to the court.
The reasons for this delay remain unclear.
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Source:
www.myjoyonline.com