On Tuesday, January 19, 2026, Ken Ofori-Atta, the troubled former Minister of Finance, is scheduled to appear before a US immigration court. The court will decide whether or not to deport him to Ghana.
Ofori-Atta, who has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is among the 0.6% of individuals who have the opportunity to stay in the US following detention by ICE, according to US immigration attorney Jonelle Ocloo.
She clarified that the former finance minister has a chance to stay in the US, especially since he has retained former US Attorney General John Ashcroft as one of his defence attorneys.
Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, Ghana’s Attorney General, has even confirmed that John Ashcroft’s skill will probably make the fight to return Ofori-Atta to Ghana a protracted one.
However, who is John Ashcroft?
Under President George W. Bush, John Ashcroft served as the US Attorney General from 2001 to 2005. He has received recognition for his significant contributions to the USA Patriot Act’s implementation and the development of post-9/11 national security strategies.
The US Department of Justice website states that “Mr Ashcroft was Vice Chairman of the National Governors Association in 1990 and Chairman from 1991 to 1992, as well as the Chairman of the President’s Committee on Urban Families in 1992.”
See the profile in its entirety below:
John David Ashcroft was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 9, 1942. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1967 after graduating with honours from Yale in 1964.
According to portions of his profile on the US Department of Justice website, “Mr Ashcroft was Vice Chairman of the National Governors Association in 1990 and Chairman from 1991 to 1992, as well as the Chairman of the President’s Committee on Urban Families in 1992.”
View the complete profile below:
On May 9, 1942, John David Ashcroft was born in Chicago, Illinois. In 1964, he graduated with honours from Yale, and in 1967, he obtained his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
In 1967, Mr. Ashcroft and his wife opened a law company in Springfield, Missouri. At the same time, he accepted a teaching position at Southwest Missouri State University, where he remained until 1972, when he entered politics as the state auditor of Missouri. He served as assistant attorney general from 1975 to 1977. In 1977, he was appointed attorney general of Missouri, a role he maintained until 1984. From 1985 until 1992, Mr. Ashcroft was the governor of Missouri. Following that, he continued to practise privately at Suelthaus and Kaplan P.C. until 1994. In 1995, he was elected as a U.S. Senator to represent Missouri.
The National Governor’s Association Task Force on College Quality and the Task Force on Adult Literacy were both chaired by Mr. Ashcroft in 1991. In addition, he was head of the Republican Governor’s Association in 1990 and co-chairman of the Republican Platform Committee in 1992. He also served as the National Association of Attorneys General’s president from 1980 to 1981. Mr. Ashcroft was vice chairman of the National Governors Association in 1990 and chairman from 1991 to 1992. He also chaired the President’s Committee on Urban Families in 1992.
Mr. Ashcroft was honoured with the Wyman Award in 1983 and the National Sheriffs’ Association Award in 1996. He won Christian Statesman of the Year once more in 1996. Mr. Ashcroft is the author of Lessons from a Father to His Son and co-authored many editions of two college legal textbooks with his spouse.
President Bush appointed Mr. Ashcroft as the 79th Attorney General on December 22, 2000. Before stepping down on February 3, 2005, he held the position of attorney general for four years.
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