A United States Immigration Court has ruled that Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) failed to provide credible and persuasive evidence linking former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to any criminal wrongdoing.
The decision was delivered by Immigration Judge David Gardey of the Annandale Immigration Court in Virginia during proceedings concerning Mr Ofori-Atta’s application for adjustment of status in the United States.
According to the ruling, the US Department of Homeland Security opposed the application by relying on criminal charges filed against the former Finance Minister in Ghana.
After reviewing the evidence, however, the court found that the material presented by the OSP did not establish that Mr Ofori-Atta had personally benefited from his position as a public official or participated in any criminal conspiracy.
Judge Gardey described the affidavit submitted by the OSP as containing “conclusory allegations” that were unsupported by sufficient factual evidence to prove criminal conduct.
“The court finds that the affidavit is lacking in any persuasive proof or evidence that the respondent has engaged in any criminal wrongdoing as alleged,” the judge stated.
The court further held that the evidence before it did not credibly demonstrate that Mr Ofori-Atta had committed any criminal offence in Ghana, noting that the absence of persuasive proof was central to its determination.
The ruling represents a setback for efforts to rely on the allegations against the former Finance Minister in the US immigration proceedings, with the court concluding that the evidence presented fell short of the standard required to establish criminal wrongdoing.
