By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
A Ghanaian-owned law firm, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), has denied any wrongdoing in connection with ongoing investigations into Power Distribution Services (PDS) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The firm has again strongly condemned the arrest and detention of two of its lawyers in the same matter.
According to a statement issued by the law firm, a recent media report based on comments by government officials has wrongly linked its lawyers to alleged criminal activities involving funds believed to belong to ECG.
The firm explained that senior partner Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo and junior partner Sophia Kokor visited the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) office at Kawukudi on April 30, 2026, to provide legal representation for Philip Ayesu and Viraj Bhat in the PDS/ECG investigation.
According to MPOBB, officials from the BNI and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) prevented the lawyers from representing their clients after declaring them “persons of interest.”
The firm said the two lawyers were later interrogated and arrested over allegations of dishonestly receiving property and abetment of money laundering.
MPOBB stated that the accusations were vague and unsupported, adding that no specific amount or property involved in the alleged offences was identified during the process.
The lawyers were detained until May 1 before being granted bail of GH¢50 million each.
The firm described the arrests as an attack on the right to legal representation and warned that such actions could undermine confidence in the justice system.
MPOBB further explained that the four individuals whose arrests have been publicised were all connected to arbitration proceedings between PDS, ECG, and the Government of Ghana at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
The statement noted that the arbitration, which started in 2021, ended in November 2024 with costs awarded against PDS, which were subsequently paid in full through the company’s lawyers.
According to the firm, the arbitration resolved disputes arising from the termination of the PDS concession agreement in 2019, and PDS owes no outstanding money to ECG beyond the settled costs.
The statement also rejected claims that the arrested persons were involved in the transfer of GH¢850 million from an ECG account through an “Interim Protocol.”
MPOBB clarified that the Interim Protocol was only a temporary arrangement reached during mediation between ECG and PDS in 2019 and lasted less than three months.
The firm insisted that the issue had already been addressed during the international arbitration proceedings.
MPOBB said it believes the arrests were intended to intimidate its lawyers and damage the reputation of the firm, which has represented the PDS consortium since 2015 under the Millennium Challenge Compact.
The law firm warned that using criminal investigations against lawyers for carrying out professional duties in lawful arbitration proceedings could create a dangerous precedent for the country’s legal system.
