Former Ghana Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori-Atta was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 6 in Washington, DC, where he remains in custody at the Caroline Detention Facility in the state of Virginia. His detention follows Ghana’s December 10 formal extradition request to the US Department of Justice for Ofori-Atta, who faces 78 counts of corruption and corruption-related offenses.

ICE agents arrested Ofori-Atta around 11:00 AM at a luxury apartment complex in Washington, DC. According to the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, Ofori-Atta remains “in ICE custody” as of January 11, 2026. Ghana’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine confirmed that Ofori-Atta is represented by private legal counsel. His lawyer, Frank Davies, stated that Ofori-Atta traveled to the United States for medical treatment and that a legal challenge to his custody has been filed in court. According to a January 10, 2026 press release signed by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States Victor Emmanuel Smith, Ofori-Atta has declined consular assistance from the Ghana Embassy.

The US State Department revoked Ofori-Atta’s visa in 2025, according to Ghana’s Attorney General Dominic Ayine. The Attorney General further emphasized that it was the visa revocation—rather than a visa overstay or expiration—that triggered US federal enforcement action. The US Department of Justice is currently reviewing Ghana’s extradition request under the “dual criminality” doctrine, which requires confirmation that the alleged financial crimes in Ghana would also be prosecutable in the United States.

Kenneth Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. He faces charges related to alleged corruption in multiple government contracts, including a GHS 125 million contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), the $400 million National Cathedral Project, ambulance procurement for the Ministry of Health, and electricity company contracts. Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) formally charged Ofori-Atta on November 18, 2025. The OSP seeks to recover misappropriated public funds through the government’s Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) initiative launched after the National Democratic Congress won the 2024 presidential election.

The extradition request follows a months-long effort by Ghanaian authorities to secure Ofori-Atta’s return. The OSP requested Ofori-Atta appear for questioning on February 10, 2025 via a letter dated January 24, 2025. His solicitors responded January 31, stating he had left Ghana in early January for medical treatment in the United States and was “out of the jurisdiction indefinitely for medical examinations.” The solicitors requested rescheduling and offered to provide information to aid investigations.

On February 10, the OSP directed Ofori-Atta to provide a reasonable return date, warning that failure to comply would compel the OSP to “take all legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction.” His solicitors responded the same day, stating a doctor recommended he remain in the US for possible surgical intervention. The following day, February 11, his solicitors inquired whether the OSP conducted a search of Ofori-Atta’s premises, which the OSP denied.

During a February 2025 press conference, the OSP declared Ofori-Atta a fugitive, stating it was unconvinced by the medical report and disagreed that returning to Ghana would endanger his life. The OSP characterized his extended stay as “an attempt to avoid return to the jurisdiction.” By June 2025, Ghana secured a judicial arrest warrant and successfully placed Ofori-Atta on Interpol’s Red Notice database, though the notice was temporarily removed from public visibility following a challenge by the accused. The OSP transmitted a letter to the Attorney General on December 9 requesting formal extradition proceedings.

The charges against Ofori-Atta and seven other individuals include conspiracy to commit the criminal offense of directly or indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain unfair advantage in contract awards, contrary to section 23(1) of the Criminal and Other Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29) and section 92(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended by Act 914. The charges stem from investigations into alleged corruption and financial irregularities in the GHS 125 million contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority and Strategic Mobilisation Limited. The Special Prosecutor is seeking to recover the amount, describing it as unjust enrichment obtained through unlawful means.

Among the most prominent allegations against Ofori-Atta involves the National Cathedral Project. In November 2024, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice concluded an investigation into the project, which was initiated by former President Akufo-Addo with an estimated cost of $100 million from private funds. The cost surged to $400 million, with the investigation revealing that the contract awarded to Ribade Company Ltd was void ab initio for violating mandatory provisions of the Procurement Act. The investigation recommended that the Board of Public Procurement Authority cancel the contract and investigate the Board of Trustees. Ofori-Atta allegedly authorized the release of $58 million in state funds toward construction costs. The project remains an incomplete excavation site in central Accra, on land formerly occupied by government buildings and judges’ residences. Additional charges relate to alleged corruption in ambulance procurement for the Ministry of Health and the termination of a contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology.

The extradition proceedings will be governed by Ghana’s Extradition Act, 1960 (Act 22), which applies where an extradition agreement exists with the requesting state. Section 2 of the Act mandates declining extradition requests if the offense is of a political character, with a Magistrate responsible for determining whether charges meet this standard.

Article 40 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution requires Ghana to observe treaty obligations and settle international disputes peacefully. This aligns with Article 1 of the UN Charter, which requires states to maintain friendly relations based on principles of equality and respect for human rights. The principle of pacta sunt servanda, enshrined in Article 26 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), requires states to observe treaty obligations in good faith. Both Ghana and the United States are bound by their extradition agreement and are barred from invoking municipal law to avoid treaty obligations under Article 27 of the Vienna Convention, except in circumstances permitted under Article 46, which addresses capacity to conclude treaties and inconsistencies with normal practice and good faith.

The extradition request comes as Ghana and the United States maintain reciprocal cooperation on extradition matters. Ghana previously cooperated with US extradition requests, including the extradition of Ghanaian citizens to the United States for alleged crimes against US citizens. In one case, Abu Trica and other Ghanaian citizens were extradited to face charges related to an alleged $8 million romance scam targeting US citizens, demonstrating the mutual nature of bilateral treaty obligations.

The case against Ofori-Atta represents part of broader anti-corruption efforts in Ghana. Corruption has been a persistent challenge in the country since independence, with state officials diverting public resources to personal ventures. Ghana has implemented multiple measures to combat corruption, including Article 8(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 16 of the Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act 591), which restrict dual citizens from occupying certain key offices. The country has also created specialized institutions including the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Economic and Organised Crimes Office. The 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections saw a change in political power, with the National Democratic Congress defeating the New Patriotic Party by approximately one million votes. The worst recorded corruption cases under Ghana’s fourth republic occurred during Ofori-Atta’s tenure as Finance Minister, prompting public demands for accountability that influenced the election outcome. The current NDC administration immediately established Operation Recover All Loots to recover misappropriated public funds.

Opinions expressed in JURIST Dispatches are solely those of our correspondents in the field and do not necessarily reflect the views of JURIST’s editors, staff, donors or the University of Pittsburgh.

The department store conglomerate wants to reorganize its debt and operations in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it could file “imminently”, the people said.

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The financing would provide an immediate cash infusion of $1 billion through a debtor-in-possession loan from an investor group led by Pentwater Capital Management in Naples, Florida, and Boston-based Bracebridge Capital, the people said.

The company’s banks would also provide an additional $250 million in financing through an asset-backed loan, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

A DIP loan helps companies pay salaries, vendors and other ongoing expenses while a company goes through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, allowing it to continue operating while reorganizing its business. DIP financing gives investors priority repayment if the company isn’t successful and has to liquidate, so a bankruptcy judge will have to sign off on it.

Saks Global, which controls stores and brands that have helped shape America’s taste for high fashion over the last century, would have access to another $500 million of financing from the investor group once it successfully exits bankruptcy protection, the sources added.

The negotiations are still fluid and the exact terms of the lending package could change, they cautioned. The financing plan would also need approval from a bankruptcy judge before it is finalized. The filing could come as soon as Tuesday, the people said.

The DIP finance package would allow Saks Global to repay its vendors and restock depleted inventory, one of the people said, while a Chapter 11 reorganization allows it to continue operating as it restructures its finances and renegotiates lease agreements and other contracts.

The so-called DIP loan could eventually be converted into equity or another type of asset, instead of repaid, if Saks successfully emerges from bankruptcy, one of the people said.

PJT Partners, which is advising Saks on its restructuring, declined to comment. Saks did not immediately return a request for comment.

A LUXURY DREAM THAT FAILED

While the marriage gave the newly formed luxury conglomerate more leverage to negotiate discounts with vendors, it also left it saddled with debt. Saks Global took on about $2.2 billion in fresh debt as part of the deal, targeting $600 million in annual cost savings, according to media reports citing the company’s investor call in October.

But demand for luxury goods didn’t rebound as hoped for in 2025 and the servicing costs on that debt significantly ate into its cash flow, making it late in paying vendors and investors, according to interviews with former vendors, investors and analysts. Saks Global had to tap investors for another $600 million in June and missed a crucial bond payment last month.

Some of Saks’ bonds are trading at as little as a penny on the dollar. Its first lien bonds, which have the most protection in bankruptcy, are trading at 25 cents to 30 cents, one bond investor told Reuters.

The new cash injection should give Saks enough breathing room, and liquidity, to eventually recover, one investor said.

It wasn’t clear whether the restructuring plan will include additional changes to the company’s management team or its storied real estate holdings, which include its flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store in New York City. The company abruptly replaced its chief executive – veteran retail executive Marc Metrick – earlier this month, elevating Baker to CEO.

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Stephen Murphy ’87, who has worked in the Yale administration since 2001 and as the University’s chief financial officer and vice president for finance since 2015, will retire from his position in June.

Leo Nyberg & Isobel McClure

1:47 am, Jan 13, 2026

Staff Reporters

Yale News

Stephen Murphy ’87, the University’s chief financial officer and vice president for finance who has held the post for more than 10 years, will retire in June, University President Maurie McInnis and Senior Vice President for Operations Geoff Chatas announced in a statement on Monday. 

Murphy’s impending retirement comes amid administrators’ efforts to tighten budgets across the University — which could include shrinking the University’s workforce through layoffs — as Yale braces for the tax on its endowment investment income to increase from 1.4 to 8 percent in July.  

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to work alongside so many thoughtful, talented, kind, and principled people who are trying each day to make the world a better place through research, teaching, preservation, and practice,” Murphy wrote in an email to the News. “I have loved my time serving as CFO for Yale University. It’s the best job at Yale and the best job in higher education, at least for me.” 

Murphy graduated from Yale College in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He noted that as a student unable to afford college without financial aid, he was “grateful to have had the opportunity to work toward making undergraduate and graduate education more affordable to more families” later in his career as Yale’s chief financial officer. 

In their statement, McInnis and Chatas praised Murphy for his role implementing reforms which they said “lay much of the foundation” for Yale’s financial management. 

“During his tenure at Yale, Steve has provided both steady and dynamic leadership of the university’s finances. He has worked with multiple generations of administrators to advance our academic mission through financial strategy, insight, services, and advice,” the university leaders’ joint statement said. 

“With tremendous care, Steve has helped steer the university through many challenging moments and provided important guidance to me in my role as provost,” Provost Scott Strobel wrote in an email to the News, noting that Murphy’s work “will benefit students, faculty, and staff for years after his retirement.” 

Murphy began working at Yale in 2001 as the Yale Office of Cooperative Research’s director of finance and administration, according to his profile on a University webpage.