A leading law firm in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), has described the purported recent arrest and detention of two of its lawyers, Justice Menka-Premoh and Ms. Sophia Korkor, by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), as an unlawful development.
The position of MPOBB is contained in a five-page statement released by the law firm on Friday, 8 May 2026, clarifying the circumstances under which its lawyers got caught up in the arrest and detention claims first announced by Minister for government communications, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, and reiterated by one Benjamin Alpha, a spokesperson of the Attorney-General’s office.
“Our attention has been drawn to reports, including a social media update by the President’s Spokesman, Mr. Felix Ofosu Kwakye, indicating that a PDS “quartet” had been arrested and granted bail in respect of money “believed” to belong to ECG.
“The post included the names “Justice Menka-Premoh” and “Sophia Korkor,” which are misspelt references to lawyers practising within our firm. Subsequently, an interview granted to Joy FM by a certain Benjamin Alpha, a spokesperson of the Attorney-General’s office, indicated that the four people (including our lawyers) were arrested and granted bail for their involvement in transferring Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Ghana Cedis (GHS850,000,000.00) out of a Calbank Account belonging to ECG.
“The social media post and interview have unfortunately formed the basis of several media stories that inaccurately portray our firm and its lawyers as having engaged in illicit activities. These representations are misleading and damaging to the professional reputation of our firm and the individual lawyers who were arrested and detained.
“On Thursday 30th April, 2026 Mr. Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo, a Senior Partner of Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), attended the offices of Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) at Kawukudi to provide legal representation to Messrs.
“Philip Ayesu and Viraj Bhat in relation to a PDS/ECG investigation. He was accompanied by Ms. Sophia Kokor, a Junior Partner. However, the BNI and Economic Organised Crime Office (EOCO) officials refused to allow our lawyers to represent their clients, claiming the lawyers themselves were “persons of interest,” the MPOBB statement read.
“This escalated into the restriction of the movement of Mr. Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo and Ms. Sophia Kokor. They were subjected to interrogation and arrest on vague and unsubstantiated allegations of “Dishonestly Receiving” and “Abetment of Money Laundering,” without any specific figures being cited or identification of any objects dishonestly received.
“They were detained until the evening of the following day, Friday May 1, 2026 and then granted bail in the excessive sum of Fifty Million Ghana Cedis (GHS50,000,000.00) each. This is not a standard criminal investigation; it is a direct assault on the right to legal counsel and the professional immunity of lawyers.
“The four individuals whose arrests have been reported were all participants in arbitration proceedings that commenced in 2021 between PDS, ECG and the Government of Ghana at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). In those proceedings, our lawyers, Mr. Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo and Ms. Sophia Kokor were among the legal team that represented PDS, while ECG was represented by a team of lawyers which included Dr. Dominic Ayine (the current Attorney-General).
