Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, has criticised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for inviting, arresting, and detaining private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, stating that the action was unnecessary and legally misplaced.
Speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Wednesday, December 3, Prof. Oquaye said that if Mr. Kpebu had made corruption allegations against the Special Prosecutor, the appropriate response was either to sue him or refer the matter to another investigative body, unless a specific crime had been committed.
“It is most unfortunate, most unfortunate, even more so because we need a certain amount of stability, peace, and decorum in this republic to go about our developmental matters. In the first place, the SP did not even have any business inviting Kpebu. If Kpebu says you are corrupt, you can sue him, or you can refer him to another agency if you think there is a crime. Your business is to investigate corruption. Is Kpebu being charged with corruption?” he questioned.
Kpebu Released After 5 Hours in Detention
After nearly five hours in custody, the OSP released Mr. Kpebu, who had been detained on allegations of obstructing an officer of the Special Prosecutor.
Speaking to TV3 after his release, Mr. Kpebu insisted his detention was unwarranted.
“I know I have not done anything wrong, so I will be released,” he said.
He confirmed having a heated exchange with a military officer at the OSP premises.
“The military officer said I am stupid, and I also said he is stupid. So we exchanged words,” he recounted.
He further described his arrest as proof of what he called the Special Prosecutor’s incompetence and vowed to petition President Mahama for Mr. Agyebeng’s removal.
“I will petition for his removal. I have 15 allegations against him,” he added.
Lawyer Gives Detailed Account of the Arrest
One of Mr. Kpebu’s lawyers, Mr. Marcellinus Biah, provided a full narration of events leading to the arrest in an interview on TV3’s News360.
He explained that at about 2:00 p.m., they honoured an invitation from the OSP. While at the premises, Mr. Kpebu granted an interview outside the building, a move that appeared to anger the police officer stationed at the gate.
“Martin told the officer there was nothing wrong with granting an interview and returning for the inquiry. A verbal exchange occurred, but Martin later proceeded to meet the inquiry committee,” Mr. Biah explained.
During the meeting, officers informed Mr. Kpebu that he would be charged for obstructing an OSP officer. Ironically, Mr. Kpebu had earlier tried to lodge a complaint against the officer involved in the altercation but was told the complaints unit was unavailable.
According to Mr. Biah, while discussions with the inquiry committee were ongoing, officers moved in and announced Mr. Kpebu’s arrest.
“They said he was being charged with obstructing an officer of the Special Prosecutor. He was briefly admitted to bail and required to produce one surety,” he noted.
But before the surety could be brought, OSP officials whisked Mr. Kpebu away to an undisclosed location.
“As we speak now, we are unable to tell where Mr. Kpebu is,” Mr. Biah said at the time.
Mr. Kpebu was later released.
