A United States immigration judge has cast doubt on the corruption case brought against former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), saying the evidence presented failed to credibly establish any criminal wrongdoing.
In a ruling delivered on June 15, 2026, Judge David Gardey approved Ofori-Atta’s application for permanent residency in the United States, concluding that the allegations contained in the OSP’s affidavit were not supported by reliable evidence.
According to the judge, the affidavit relied heavily on broad accusations and lacked the factual detail needed to prove that the former minister engaged in corruption or personally benefited from his position while serving in government.
“The lack of any persuasive evidence indicating any kind of criminal wrongdoing or criminal conspiracy involving the respondent in the OSP’s affidavit is powerful evidence,” Judge Gardey stated in his ruling.
The court noted that although the OSP had filed more than 70 criminal charges against Ofori-Atta, the material presented did not convincingly demonstrate that he had committed any offence or participated in a criminal conspiracy.
Judge Gardey also accepted Ofori-Atta’s testimony as credible, noting that the former finance minister consistently denied receiving any financial benefit from companies or individuals connected to the investigations or personally profiting from decisions taken during his tenure.
The assessment formed part of the court’s broader review of Ofori-Atta’s immigration case, which also considered his overstay of a US visa alongside several factors in his favour.
Among those factors were his long-standing ties to the United States, including his education and professional career, his US citizen son, his clean criminal record in the country, and his ongoing medical treatment there.
The judge further referenced the removal of an Interpol Red Notice linked to the Ghanaian case, a KPMG review that identified administrative weaknesses but found no criminal wrongdoing by Ofori-Atta or his staff, and the absence of an extradition case by the US Department of Justice despite Ghana’s request.
Based on the totality of the evidence, Judge Gardey concluded that the corruption allegations did not carry sufficient credibility to outweigh the positive considerations in Ofori-Atta’s immigration application, paving the way for the approval of his permanent residency.
