Private legal practitioner Amanda Clinton says the arrest and detention of the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Kwame Ohene Frimpong, in the Netherlands reflects poorly on Ghana.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s What the Papers are Saying on Thursday, May 14, Amanda Clinton questioned the manner in which the situation was handled, stating that the matter could have been managed differently to safeguard Ghana’s image and sovereignty.
She suggested, however, that the government could have publicly disregarded the claims if they lacked validity instead of allowing the issue to escalate diplomatically.
According to her, if assertions by the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, that Ghana’s security agencies were aware of the situation are true, then the authorities should have handled the matter locally instead of allowing it to play out publicly abroad.
“I think it was about the optics of how this played out. Because, should the Majority Chief Whip [Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor] be right that our security agencies were aware, then optics, internationally and locally, it would have been better if Ghana handled this for sovereignty,” she declared.
“We handle it from our shores, and we determine if he’s guilty; we extradite him like any other person. Or come out with a very strong message that it’s a witch-hunt for nothing. It could have been handled better,” she added.
She further emphasized that, behind closed doors, leadership would be upset about how the matter was managed diplomatically, because it creates the impression that either the authorities were unaware of what was going on or, if they did know, they lacked control over how he was expelled.
In a statement signed by the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Parliament confirmed on Tuesday, May 12, that the Independent MP had been detained at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, Parliament stated that it had been formally informed of the development and was engaging Ghana’s diplomatic mission in The Hague to gather further details.