The Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, has disclosed that the arrest warrant that led to the detention of the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, was issued by authorities in the United States on April 26, 2026.
According to Mr Dafeamekpor, information available to the MP’s legal team suggests that the warrant is linked to an investigation involving the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), although Ghanaian authorities have not yet received any official communication outlining the alleged offence.
“The FBI has not communicated officially to us yet on his offence. But his lawyers said the warrant was issued on the 26th of April,” he said in an interview with TV3.
Mr Dafeamekpor explained that the legislator was intercepted by Dutch security officials at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on Sunday morning while transiting to the United Kingdom on a KLM flight from Accra.
He dismissed reports claiming that the MP was travelling to the United States aboard a Delta Airlines flight, describing such reports as inaccurate.
“The Honourable Member was not travelling to the US on Delta Airlines on Friday. He was on a private visit to the United Kingdom. His wife and children live in London, so he frequently travels there,” he clarified.
He recounted that the MP departed Accra on Saturday evening and arrived at Schiphol Airport around 5:00 a.m. on Sunday. During transit procedures, he was reportedly stopped, questioned and later detained by security officials at about 6:30 a.m.
The Majority Chief Whip said Parliament had since secured legal representation for the detained lawmaker.
He disclosed that a Ghanaian lawyer based in The Hague, Joe Appiah, had been engaged in collaboration with Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands to handle the matter.
“A private lawyer has been procured for him in the person of Joe Appiah. And he has told us the MP hasn’t been harmed, and he is doing well,” Mr Dafeamekpor stated.
He further revealed that he personally asked the MP whether he had engaged in any activity that could have attracted the attention of the FBI, but the legislator denied any wrongdoing.
“I asked him whether he had done anything to warrant the FBI’s attention, and he said no,” he added.
Parliament officially confirmed the detention on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in a statement signed by the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror.
The statement indicated that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, had been briefed on the matter and that the leadership of the House was working closely with Ghana’s Mission in the Netherlands to obtain full details surrounding the incident.
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