Kpebu vs. OSP: lawyer alleges targeted harassment and political motives

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has intensified his criticism of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), alleging political undercurrents, personal targeting, and deliberate attempts to discredit him as tensions between himself and Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng escalate.

Appearing on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Mr. Kpebu claimed recent developments within the OSP may be part of a broader political strategy to undermine the current NDC administration. He argued that because Mr. Agyebeng is an appointee of former President Nana Akufo-Addo, ongoing arrests and actions by the OSP cannot be used as evidence that the NDC government is clamping down on free speech.

“Kissi Agyebeng is an Akufo-Addo appointee, so you can’t say government is criminalizing free speech. Maybe all these arrests are to make the NDC government unpopular because NPP appointees can do it to spite government,” he said.

His comments follow his arrest on December 3 for allegedly obstructing an OSP officer. He was later granted bail with conditions requiring landed property and a surety.

Mr. Kpebu also recounted a confrontational incident during his visit to the OSP, alleging that a soldier verbally abused him and called him a “stupid man” after he granted an interview outside the premises. He insisted the exchange was intentionally provoked and suggested that the Special Prosecutor himself may have instigated the harassment.

“One soldier said if I come there again and do that, he will show me. The next thing I heard was him calling me a stupid man. I believe the Special Prosecutor is involved. He is behind it,” he claimed.

Despite the ongoing dispute, Mr. Kpebu stated he would decline any appointment as Special Prosecutor — not because he feels unqualified, but to avoid the perception that he engineered Agyebeng’s removal for personal gain.

“Ideally, if not because of the fight between Kissi Agyebeng and me, I would have gladly accepted to be the SP, but people would think I asked for his removal so that I can take charge,” he said, noting he could still excel in the role if both the president and the public deemed him fit.

The mounting tensions between the two lawyers have sparked public debate over the independence, internal culture, and political perception of the OSP.