Wetin we call dis foto, Di immigration judge order members of di public wey join di virtual hearing to leave as lawyers for di ex-minister request private hearing
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One US judge for di Annadale immigration court for Virginia adjourn hearing of di immigration case against ex-Ghana finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who dey face corrupting charges back home.
Di judge David Gardey move di hearing to 27 April.
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Dis be in connection wit immigration wahala afta US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest and detain di ex-finance minister for Virginia since 6 January 2025, sake of e overstay im visa.
Tori be say US authorities revoke di ex-minister visa for November 2025 wey he refuse to comot di kontri.
During di first appearance bifor di court on 20 January, lawyers for di ex-finance minister ask di court for private hearing.
By dis time many pipo join di virtual hearing sake of Ghanaians dey interested in di mata.
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Two cases dey bifor di court – one of dem be bond application; wey mean say lawyers for di minister apply for di release of dia client from ICE custody wey di oda one be di immigration case proper.
How di minister appear for di court hearing
Dis be di first time since January 2025 wey di ex-minister dey appear for public afta e comot Ghana to di US for “medical attention.”
Di ex-Ghana minster appear for di Caroline detention centre as e dey wear one grey jacket, wey he wear black detention coverall.
He also dey wear blue face mask – di common one wey pipo wear during di covid 19 pandemic.
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As e waka enter di isolated room, e comot di jacket, leaving im dark detention outfit.
E carry di jacket hang for chair behind a table for di centre of di empty room, wey e sidon.
Di minister also wear one armband for his wrist.
Few minutes later, Ken Ofori-Atta comot di chair wey e comot di lonely detention room briefly, bifor e return when di judge call im case.
As e return, e move im glasses wey e hang am on top his head wey e sidon for di chair dey face di camera.
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As di judge call di case, lawyers for di minister, Christopher Chaisson and Kwao Amagashie tok say dem wan make di judge hear di case for private.
Wia dis foto come from, SCREENGRAB
Wetin we call dis foto, ICE arrest di ex-finance minister on 6 Janaury 2026 wey dem keep am for di Caroline Detention centre until his first court appearance
Wetin happun during di virtual hearing as judge ‘ban’ di public
Judge David Gardey: Dis be di bond determination hearing for di mata wey involve Kenneth Ofori-Atta. Dem detain am for di Caroline detention centre wey he dey appear by Webex (virtual conference). Make di lawyers wey dey represent am enta dia appearance.
Lawyers: I be Christopher Chaisson, I dey on behalf of Enayat Qasimi and Kwao Amagashie on behalf of di respondent.
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Judge David Gardey: Sake of di nature of di issues wey we discuss for di bond hearing, you pipo want di bond hearing to be private, as in make e dey closed to di public?
Christopher Chaisson: Yes, your honour. I make happy say you raise dis mata serf. I wan raise am bifor.
Judge David Gardey: Okay. I hear am.
Christopher Chaisson: For di record, your honour. Di oda issue also dey – di master calendar hearing. Wit di way di mata dey, some of di issues we go raise for di hearing be sensitive.
Judge David Gardey: You dey ask say di master calendar hearing also go dey private; closed to di public?
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Christopher Chaisson: Yes. We wan clarify sometin small. We go like say make di two hearings all dey closed to di public.
However, for di bond hearing case, we go ask di court say make dem try anytin dem fit do for dia power, to finish di case [today]. I go wait for di court decision.
Judge David Gardey: I understand. So all di pipo wey join us for di Webex (online video conference), we go hear di mata in private under di US immigration law. Di law say if any party for di immigration case say make di hearing dey private and closed to di public, under di circumstances, di court go close di hearing.
If anyone dey for di Webex (online video platform) wey dey here to view dis hearing; either di bond hearing or di master calendar hearing, make everyone comot now sake of we neva go continue if pipo still dey on di online link. Only di parties for di case dey allowed to be present during di hearing.
Dat be how dem comot hundreds of Ghanaians wey join di virtual link to follow di proceedings for di hearing to continue.
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Wetin go happun now
Afta dem arrest Ken Ofori-Atta for di US, his Ghana lawyers tok say “Oga Ofori-Atta get pending petition for adjustment of status wey go allow pesin to stay for di US legally past di period of validity of dia visa,” di statement by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo explain.
“Oga Ken Ofori-Atta be law-abiding pesin wey he dey fully cooperate wit ICE to deal wit dis mata,” di statement from his lawyers add.
Now as di Annadale immigration court judge adjourn di case to 27 April, di ex-finance minister go likely remain in detention until di next hearing (for three months).
Sabi pipo explain say if di ex-minister lawyers succeed wit di bond application, den dia client go dey out of di ICE custody wey he go dey attend di substantive immigration hearing.
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If dem no succeed or di judge no gree wit dia argument, di detainee go dey inside ICE custody until dia deportation case dey finalized.
Di judge gat di discretion to determine weda pesin be flight risk or di pesin be danger for di community
If pesin dey inside custody during di hearing, di case go fit move fast fast.
For all dis, di detainee get option to appeal if di judge deny dem di bond.
Dem fit appeal to di board of immigration appeals (BIA); but dis process neva dey easy.
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Wia dis foto come from, ARISE GHANA
Wetin we call dis foto, Pressure group Arise Ghana gather for di US embassy for Accra to protest to demand cooperation of US authorities make dem extradite di ex-finance minister to face accountability
Why Ghana dey pursue di ex-finance minister
Attorney general for Ghana Dr Dominic Ayine, file extradition request to US authorities for di ex-finance minister.
Dem wan make US authorities carry di minister and his chief of staff wen e be minister, to Ghana make dem face accountability for di time as minister for seven years from 2017 to 2024.
“At dis point, na di US authorities especially di judicial authorities wey go determine whether sufficient evidence dey wey go demand say make di two accused pipo, dey extradited to Ghana to stand trial,” id attorney general explain.
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Di kontris special prosecutor’s office already slap di ex-minister and odas wit 78 counts of corruption and related offenses.
According to di special prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, di ex-minister and oda accused pipo allegedly conspire to set up “criminal enterprise wey directly and indirectly influence di kontri procurement process to win contracts for di company (SML).”
“Di SML company carry unfair advantage to get transaction audit services, external price verification services, measurement audit for downstream petroleum products and odas form di Ghana govment through di finance ministry and di Ghana revenue authority.”
Kissi Agyebeng di special prosecutor tok say “dem begin di criminal enterprise for 2017 by di ex-finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Emmanuel Kofi Nti (ex-GRA commissioner) and Evans Adusei togeda wit di SML company itself.”
Di prosecutor say dem neva ensure value for money for di contracts dem carry give di SML company wey dem cause financial loss of Ghc 1.4bn ($128m).
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Dis be some of di reasons why di kontri dey pursue di ex-minister; oda investigative agencies also dey find di minister to help dem investigate oda cases wey im allegedly dey involved.
Ken Ofori-Atta comot Ghana after his govment lose di 2024 elections wey he say he dey go for medical check-up and surgery – since dat time, he neva return.
Many pipo and political watches say di ex-minister dey run away from accountability and trial – but his lawyers say di minister gat nothing to hide.
Di govment thru di Attorney general and odas say dem go work to ensure say US authorities extradite di ex-minister to Ghana to face di law.
But dem also say dem go welcome any move wey go make di minister return to Ghana faster than di extradition – if ICE fit deport am, dem go happy say he go at least return to Ghana and face accountability like anybody else.
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Pipo wey dey close to di ex-minister say tins no go be easy sake of di Ken Ofori-Atta apart from di US visa, also get Canada and UK visa, wia he fit go, but time no tell.
For now di ex-minster dey remain for custody for di Caroline Detention centre for Virginia, until sometin happun.
At di time di immigration hearing dey happun, one pressure group for Ghana and oda Ghanaians gada for di US embassy for Accra to protest.
Dem carry placards wey dem wear red shirts and armbands wey dem demand say make di embassy authorities work to bring di ex-finance minister back to di kontri to face trial.
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Last year, Paramount said it would use $24 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar to help buy WBD.
Now that Paramount has won that deal, it won’t say whether that’s still the plan.
A key Paramount backer suggests that Gulf money would be a good thing for this deal.
We still don’t know if Paramount intends to use billions of dollars from Gulf states like Saudi Arabia to help it buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
But if Paramount does end up doing that, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, says a key Paramount backer.
That update comes via Gerry Cardinale, who heads up RedBird Capital Partners, the private equity company that helped finance Larry and David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount last year and is doing the same with their WBD deal now.
In a podcast with Puck’s Matt Belloni published Wednesday night, Cardinale wouldn’t comment directly on Paramount’s previously disclosed plans to use $24 billion from sovereign wealth funds controlled by Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar to help buy WBD.
Instead, he reiterated Paramount’s current messaging on the deal’s financing: The $47 billion in equity Paramount will use to buy WBD will be “backstopped” by the Ellison family and RedBird — meaning they are ultimately on the hook to pay up. The rest of the $81 billion deal will be financed with debt.
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Cardinale also acknowledged what Paramount has disclosed in its current disclosure documents: It intends to sell portions of that $47 billion commitment to other investors: “We haven’t syndicated anything at this time,” he said. “We do expect to syndicate with strategic, domestic, and foreign investors. But at the end of the day, that alchemy shouldn’t matter because it’ll be done in the right way.”
And when asked about concerns about Middle Eastern countries owning part of a media conglomerate that includes assets like CNN, Cardinale suggested that could be a plus.
“I think we want to be a global company,” he said. “You look at what’s going on right now geopolitically. What’s going on right now geopolitically out of the Middle East wouldn’t be, the positives of that would not be happening without some of those sovereigns that you’re referring to.”
He continued:
“The world is changing. We can stick our head in the sand and pretend it’s not, or we can embrace globalization and the derivative benefits both geopolitically and otherwise that come from that. Content generation coming out of Hollywood is one of America’s greatest exports.I firmly embrace the global nature and orientation that we bring to this from a capital standpoint, from a footprint standpoint, etc. At the end of the day, I do understand some of the concerns that you’ve raised, but that will work itself out between signing and closing because at the end of the day, worst-case scenario, Ellison and RedBird are 100% of this thing.”
All of which suggests to me that Paramount still intends to use money from Gulf-based sovereign wealth funds to buy WBD.
What I don’t understand is why the company won’t say that out loud. Does that mean it’s still negotiating with potential investors? Or that it’s reticent to disclose outside investors, for whatever reason, until it has to? A Paramount rep declined to comment.
Talks on landmark crypto legislation have hit a new impasse after banks said they could not back a compromise pushed by the White House, a development that cast doubt on whether the bill will pass this year and sparked criticism from President Donald Trump who accused lenders of trying to undermine it.
A tenacious team of finance majors, who sacrificed most of their winter break to prepare for the CFA Institute Research Challenge, took first place in that regional competition last week.
Students Hunter Baillargeon, Dylan Fischetto, Richard Opper, Philip Ochocinski and Rushit Chauhan were tasked with researching and analyzing a major utility company, and then producing a 10-page report about whether to buy, hold, or sell its stock. They chose to sell.
One of the CFA judges said both the team’s report and presentation were among the best he had seen in many years.
“As a team, we were thrilled our hard work paid off and our many hours of work allowed us to achieve what we did,’’ Baillargeon said. “What we accomplished couldn’t have been done without working with such a cohesive and collective unit.’’
“From a technical perspective, I realize how valuable true analysis is and the importance of looking where others don’t for a differentiated approach,’’ Baillargeon said.
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The first round of competition featured 24 college teams from the Stamford-Hartford-Providence region. The Stamford team, composed of seniors all of whom all participate in UConn’s Student Managed Fund program, received its first-place award Feb. 26 in a ceremony in Hartford. The team will advance to the East Coast competition later this month.
Stamford Finance Program is Robust
“The Stamford team’s advancement in this competition reflects not only the students’ exceptional talent and work ethic, but also the rigor and applied focus of the UConn finance curriculum,’’ said professor Yiming Qian, head of the Finance Department.
“Our Stamford campus hosts approximately 200 financial management majors. The Stamford program is a vital part of the School and continues to demonstrate outstanding strength,” she said.
Professors Steve Wilson and Jeff Bianchi, who combined have 75 years of experience in the investment industry, were the team’s advisers and were supported by academic director Katherine Pancak.
Wilson said the task of analyzing a utility is particularly complex because of the company’s structure and the regulatory environment in which it operates.
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“I believe the Stamford team stood out because of the depth of their research, and willingness to take a bold stand, including the decision to ‘go out on a limb’ and recommend selling the stock,’’ he said. “They didn’t ‘play it safe.’’’
“This clean-sweep was a true team effort. They were tireless throughout, and sleepless too often, but they never wavered from their desire to always dig deeper and uncover any information that would strengthen our investment case,’’ he said. “What a phenomenal job they did!’’
Competition in Hong Kong Is Ultimate Goal
The Stamford team will compete against Loyola, Canisius, Sacred Heart; Seton Hall, Villanova, St. Michaels, Western New England, University of Maine, Fordham and Penn State next. In total, some 8,000 students are expected to participate in various competitions worldwide, culminating in a championship round in Hong Kong in May.
Wilson said the financial industry is always welcoming of new talent. And when one of the judges told him that the Stamford team produced some of the best work that he’d seen in years, Wilson felt tremendous pride for the students.
“Finance is an open playing field. In investments, the best idea wins,’’ he said.
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Baillargeon said he will always appreciate the whole team’s dedication.
“What I’ll remember most is the help of our advisers and our cohesive, close-knit team where everyone pulled their weight,’’ Baillargeon said. “We put in long hours, did a tremendous amount of research, and collaborated well together. I hope when I enter the workforce I get to work with a team as committed as this one is.’’
