Ghana has activated diplomatic channels to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the detention of Asante Akyem North MP, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, with Ghana’s Mission in The Hague coordinating efforts on the matter.
Details surrounding the legislator’s arrest have gradually emerged following official communication from Parliament and senior government officials. The detention, which was publicly disclosed by the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, on Tuesday evening, reportedly occurred two days earlier on Sunday.
Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, revealed that the MP personally contacted him on Sunday to inform him of the detention. According to him, the information was subsequently relayed to Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga.
Dafeamekpor indicated that Ayariga altered his travel arrangements from London to Accra, rerouting instead to Amsterdam to engage with the detained legislator and follow developments firsthand. Ohene Kwame Frimpong, although an Independent MP, is known to caucus with the Majority side of Parliament under the Standing Orders of the House.
The legislator is said to have boarded a KLM flight to Schiphol Airport en route to the United Kingdom when he was detained based on an international arrest warrant reportedly linked to U.S. authorities and circulated through INTERPOL mechanisms.
Further details emerging from the incident suggest that the MP was travelling alongside other Ghanaian lawmakers. One notable figure mentioned was the Ashanti Regional Minister, Frank Amoakohene, who later responded to criticism from opposition figures by stating that four Members of Parliament from the opposition New Patriotic Party were also on the same flight.
While the precise basis for the arrest remains officially undisclosed, allegations linking the legislator to an alleged $32 million financial crime and romance scam investigation have circulated widely in sections of the media and on social platforms. However, Majority Chief Whip Dafeamekpor has cautioned against drawing premature conclusions, stressing that many of the circulating claims remain unverified.
Government sources indicate that Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are actively involved in Ghana’s diplomatic response, while Attorney-General Dominic Ayine is reportedly reviewing legal aspects of the matter as authorities work to establish the full details surrounding the detention.
Ohene Kwame Frimpong entered Parliament after securing a major upset victory in the 2024 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate in the Asante Akyem North Constituency, defeating incumbent Andy Appiah-Kubi of the New Patriotic Party. His victory was widely viewed as one of the biggest parliamentary surprises in the Ashanti Region, traditionally considered a stronghold of the NPP.
Official constituency results showed Frimpong polling 26,926 votes, representing 70.25% of the total valid votes cast. Andy Appiah-Kubi secured 8,933 votes representing 23.31%, while the National Democratic Congress candidate, Kofi Asamoah, obtained 2,469 votes representing 6.44%. Following his election, Frimpong aligned with the Majority Caucus in Parliament despite contesting as an independent candidate.
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