Political and branding strategist Nii Amarh Amarteifio has rejected what he describes as “propaganda” from the legal team of former Ghanaian finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, insisting that recent claims about the circumstances of Ofori-Atta’s arrest in the United States are misleading.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Amarteifio said the narrative being advanced by Ofori-Atta’s lawyers, particularly suggestions that the arrest was linked to a pending visa or immigration issue, does not reflect the facts.
According to him, Ofori-Atta has been living unlawfully in the United States since June, after the expiration of a mandatory six-month stay.
Amarteifio argued that if the matter were purely related to a visa overstay, Ofori-Atta would have been arrested immediately after his authorised period elapsed.
He further questioned why similar action is not routinely taken against the many foreign nationals in the U.S. whose visas have expired.
He claimed that Ofori-Atta’s arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is directly connected to unresolved criminal matters in Ghana, adding that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) was informed at the time of the arrest.
The strategist also dismissed assertions by Ofori-Atta’s legal team that a pending petition for adjustment of status allows him to remain legally in the United States, describing such claims as a public relations tactic. He maintained that deportation to Ghana is the most likely outcome.
“The only reasonable outcome is that ICE deports him to Ghana,” Amarteifio said, arguing that such a development would eliminate the need for lengthy extradition proceedings and allow Ofori-Atta to answer to the allegations against him at home.
Amarteifio further stated that, should Ofori-Atta be deported, he would be received by officials of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney-General’s Department upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport.
The statement also criticised journalists who, according to Amarteifio, have helped promote what he described as a distorted narrative in defence of Ofori-Atta.
As of the time of publication, Ofori-Atta’s legal team had not publicly responded to Amarteifio’s comments, and neither ICE nor the Office of the Special Prosecutor had issued an official statement confirming the details surrounding the arrest or any possible deportation proceedings.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
