NPA Case: High Court rebukes OSP over detention of accused persons - Report

The Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has criticised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over the detention and interrogation of accused persons and their lawyers in the ongoing Republic v Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and Others (NPA) case.

According to a report by thelawplatform.online, the issue arose on Wednesday, January 22, 2026, when the court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, was informed that the accused persons were detained at the OSP while reporting as part of bail conditions earlier imposed by the court.

OSP pursues six high-profile corruption cases as courts reopen

The report indicated that during proceedings, Justice Kocuvie-Tay expressed displeasure at the development, stating that the OSP cannot detain or investigate accused persons over a matter already before the court and set down for trial.

Lead counsel for the first accused person, former Deputy Attorney General Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, told the court that his client was detained for more than five hours when he reported to the OSP on January 20, 2026.

He is reported to have said that the accused was interrogated despite the fact that investigations had been completed, charges filed, and the case was awaiting trial.

Kpemka further indicated that other accused persons and their lawyers, including Akbar Alkomeni and Israel Ackah, were subjected to similar treatment, TheLawPlatform’s report added.

In response, Principal State Attorney Adelaide Kobiri-Woode denied that the OSP was investigating the accused persons over the same case, insisting that the interrogations related to separate matters.

The report noted, however, that Kpemka countered the claim by presenting a letter to the court which he said showed that the investigations were directly linked to the NPA case already before the court.

Portions of the letter were read in open court.

Following the disclosure, Kobiri-Woode told the court that the conduct of the investigators was unacceptable and assured the court that steps would be taken to prevent a recurrence.

Justice Kocuvie-Tay subsequently criticised the OSP’s handling of the matter, stressing that accused persons and their lawyers must not be detained or investigated over issues pending before the court.

She stated that charges should not have been filed if investigations were incomplete.

As a result, the court varied the bail conditions of the accused persons, reducing their reporting schedule at the OSP from weekly to once a month, effective March 2026.

Mustapha Hamid, 9 others face 54 corruption charges as OSP returns to court

The court also exempted February from the reporting requirement, citing weekly case management conferences scheduled ahead of the trial.

MAG/AE

Family gives blow-by-blow account of why former NPP PC stabbed his wife