Legal practitioner Justice Abdulai has criticised the arrest and detention of the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Kwame Ohene Frimpong in the Netherlands, describing the manner in which the incident was handled as “disrespectful” to Ghana’s sovereignty and contrary to diplomatic norms.
Reacting to reports of the arrest, Mr. Abdulai said he was shocked by both the news itself and the way the operation was carried out.
“I was completely taken aback when I also heard the news and the manner in which the arrest was effected,” he stated in an interview on TV3 NewsCentral, May 13, 2026.
According to him, diplomatic channels should have been used in handling the matter, especially considering that the individual involved is a sitting Member of Parliament.
He argued that Ghanaian MPs and holders of service or diplomatic passports should not be treated in the same manner as ordinary foreign nationals when issues arise abroad.
“I believe diplomatic channel could have been the most appropriate way to go about this. I never expected this to happen the way it happened because we are dealing with a Member of Parliament,” he said.
He added that Ghana would equally expect other countries to respect its diplomats and officials when they encounter similar situations.
“Ghana cannot out of respect to other countries treat other Members of Parliament holding either service passport or diplomatic passport the same way it would have dealt with a regular citizen of any other country.
“We do expect the same level of respect and corporation from other countries when dealing with our diplomats and persons holding service passports,” he stressed.
Justice Abdulai further described the development as a disregard for international law and Ghana’s sovereignty.
“I think this is a complete disrespect and disregard for both international law and the sovereignty of Ghana,” he stressed.
He also expressed surprise that the incident involved the Netherlands, noting the long-standing diplomatic relationship between Ghana and the European country.
“You wouldn’t expect this to come from a country like Netherland,” he remarked.
The legal practitioner called for a deeper investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest to determine how the situation unfolded and whether proper diplomatic protocols were followed.
“That is the more reason why I believe that we would probably have to dig deeper into this to know exactly how this happened and who knew what and how this was allowed to happen in the first place,” he added.
Mr Kwame Ohene Frimpong, has been detained at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
This was disclosed by the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Djietror, in a Facebook post on May 12.
“It has come to the attention of Parliament that, the Hon Member for Asante Akyem North Constituency, Mr Kwame Ohene Frimpong has been detained at the Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam in the Netherlands,” the post read.
It added that, “The Rt Hon Speaker and the Leadership of the House are in touch with Ghana’s Mission in The Hague for detailed information on the matter. The public will be duly informed appropriately on this matter.”
Ohene Kwame Frimpong is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and politician. Frimpong contested the 2024 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate and defeated the incumbent member of parliament, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi.
