Ofori-Atta Deemed Fit for US Detention (Embassy Denied Access as Ex-Minister Seeks Only Legal Counsel)
Victor Smith, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United States, said on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) examined former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and found him fit for detention. He went on to say that ICE arranged for medical professionals at the detention center to check on him shortly after his arrest, saying, “Yes, the ICE people confirmed that he was all right.” Initially, they had medical people to determine whether he was fit to be held in the detention centre, and they were convinced and were assured that he was okay,” and adding that although Mr Ofori-Atta was on medication, he was not under active medical care at the time and had access to his prescribed drugs, noting, “He was on medication, but he wasn’t seeing any doctor at the time, and he had his medication, so he could be put in the detention centre,” while stressing that the assessment was conducted by medical personnel and not ICE officers, as “If he had any serious medical conditions, maybe they would have referred him to a medical facility outside the detention centre”; Mr Smith also revealed that the Ghanaian embassy sought consular access to ensure he was treated according to international protocols but was unable to meet him after he declined to do so without his lawyers present, recounting, “I discussed it with the consular officers of my embassy, and we decided to make a request to make sure that he was being treated properly, as per international protocols,” and adding that ICE later informed them, “Just before we set out, the ICE agents came again and said the detainee had refused to meet with us without his lawyers,” before finally stating, “After about a few hours, they came back to us to say the detainee, being the ex-minister, had refused now to see us under any circumstances,” a development he described as disappointing.
