Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has been detained by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after allegedly obstructing investigators probing corruption claims against Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
Kpebu’s lawyers say he was detained following an invitation to meet investigators. The lawyer had previously warned he would not participate unless the investigative committee was independently constituted.
Kpebu criticised the OSP’s handling of the process, describing his past visits as “botched” due to being made to appear before officers who report directly to Mr. Agyebeng.
“I am hoping that they would get it right this time,” Kpebu said. “They kept making me appear before subordinates. Subordinates can’t investigate their boss. It’s incompetence.”
He insisted he is willing to cooperate, but only under a properly constituted committee. He argued that junior officers investigating the Special Prosecutor undermine the process’s integrity.
Marcellinus Biah, Kpebu’s lawyer, said, “They whisked him away. As we speak now, we are unable to tell where Mr Kpebu is.”
In a TV3 interview, Biah provided further details: “…this afternoon at about two o’clock, we attended the invitation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to assist them in investigations. So, while we were at the premises, Martin granted an interview outside the premises of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and returned.
“So, it appears that one of the officers, that is, the police officer at the gate was not too happy with Martin granting an interview outside the premises of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. Martin actually telling him that, no, there was nothing wrong with him granting an interview and subsequently attending to the inquiry.
“And so there was some amount of altercation between, verbal exchange between him and then the officer. Thereafter, Martin proceeded to attend to the inquiry committee. So while we were, I mean, having discussions with the inquiry committee, in the course of that they told Martin that he had actually obstructed an officer of the Special Prosecutor and for that matter, he was going to be charged.”
Biah added, “Meanwhile, let me be quick to add that when the altercation took place, Martin was first to even request to make a complaint against the third officer.
“But we’re told that the complaint center was not available to take our complaints. So, Martin proceeded to the inquiry board committee and presented a complaint before them.”
