Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for allegedly keeping Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah waiting for hours before questioning him.
According to Kpebu, the MP arrived at EOCO at about 10 a.m., but investigators did not begin questioning him until between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Speaking on TV3's KeyPoints programme on October 3, 2026, he described the delay as unnecessary and questioned why investigators did not allow the legislator to leave and return when they were ready to question him.
“A man comes into your office at 10 a.m. If you are not ready, say, ‘Oh, go and come at this time.’ Why is he sitting there four hours?” he asked.
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Kpebu argued that Baffour Awuah’s decision to report voluntarily should have been taken into consideration by investigators when deciding how to handle his appearance.
“If he wanted to abscond, would he be coming in?” he questioned.
He said investigators could have informed the MP that they were not ready and asked him to return at 3 p.m., rather than keep him waiting for several hours without questioning him.
Kpebu compared the situation to court proceedings, where lawyers sometimes arrange with court clerks to attend to other cases while waiting for their matters to be called.
He urged public officers to exercise reasonable discretion and respect the time of people who appear before them.
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In his view, allowing someone to leave and return at an agreed time would demonstrate good judgement rather than weakness.
“Does it make me weak? It makes you stronger,” he said.
Kpebu also warned that EOCO’s handling of the matter could damage the image of the NDC administration.
EOCO Detains Manhyia MP: "The way EOCO is going about this is making the NDC look like an 8-year administration. Let's grow up; if he [Baffour Awuah] wanted to abscond, would he have reported to EOCO?" - Martin Kpebu, Private Legal Practitioner #TheKeyPoints #TV3GH https://t.co/J6XIMqDDKc
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) October 3, 2026 DR/MA LIVE: NPP National Delegates Conference | Road to 2028 Source: www.ghanaweb.com