A law firm representing parties in the ongoing Power Distribution Services (PDS) investigation has accused state authorities of unlawfully arresting and intimidating two of its lawyers. The firm, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), said the lawyers were wrongly treated as “persons of interest” during probes into alleged transactions between PDS and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
According to MPOBB, senior partner Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo and junior partner Sophia Kokor visited the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) office on April 30, 2026, to represent clients Philip Ayesu and Viraj Bhat. Instead, the lawyers were interrogated, arrested, and held until May 1, 2026, when they were granted GH¢50 million bail each. No clear evidence was provided to support allegations of “dishonestly receiving” or “abetment of money laundering.”
The firm emphasized that the lawyers’ actions were part of lawful representation during arbitration between PDS, ECG, and the Government of Ghana at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), which concluded in 2024. MPOBB rejected claims that PDS owes ECG any outstanding funds or that the arrested individuals were involved in improper transfers.
MPOBB described the arrests as an attempt to intimidate the firm and undermine legal counsel, warning that criminalizing lawyers for performing their duties could set a dangerous precedent for the justice system.
