United Party (UP) Director of Communications Solomon Owusu has rejected the argument that a lawyer cannot be arrested while in court, saying there is no law preventing law enforcement officers from arresting a lawyer on the premises of a court.

Owusu made the argument while discussing the recent attempted arrest of Manhyia South MP Nana Baffour Awuah and the ensuing confrontation involving security officers.

“I heard my brother say that, as a lawyer, he was in court, and that, why would he have to go and arrest him in court? There is no law under this sun, or in our land, that says that you cannot arrest any lawyer in court,” Owusu said.

He also disagreed with the suggestion that the presence of political party supporters around the MP was a reason for security officers to avoid taking action.

According to him, the presence of party supporters should not prevent law enforcement from carrying out a lawful arrest.

“When you look at the situation, there were party people, there was a need to de-escalate. Which law says that, when party people are around, if Baffour Awuah were in the midst of NPP, and I’m going to commit robbery, would you say, because he’s in the midst of party people?” he asked.

Owusu said the fact that many party supporters could be present around a politician should not automatically prevent an arrest.

“Thousands and thousands of party people will be there,” he said.

His comments come amid debate over the Economic and Organised Crime Office’s (EOCO) attempted arrest of Baffour Awuah. EOCO has said it had made several attempts to secure his cooperation before the incident, while the MP has disputed aspects of the account.