Lom-Nuku Ahlijah: MPs not immune from criminal prosecution
Questions surrounding the legal exposure of Ghanaian lawmakers have resurfaced following reports involving the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, with lawyer Lom-Nuku Ahlijah insisting that parliamentary office does not place any elected official beyond criminal accountability.
Speaking amid growing public attention over allegations linked to the MP, Mr Ahlijah said Ghana’s Constitution offers legislators only limited institutional protections and not blanket immunity against criminal investigations or prosecution.
His comments were made during an appearance on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, where discussions centred on the legal implications of the reported detention and investigations involving the lawmaker.
According to the legal practitioner, the common assumption that MPs cannot be arrested or prosecuted while serving in Parliament is inaccurate and unsupported by Ghana’s legal framework.
“There is no immunity from crime, even in Ghana, when you are an MP. We have had many cases where MPs have been prosecuted before,” he said.
Mr Ahlijah explained that the protections available to MPs are primarily intended to preserve the independence of Parliament and ensure lawmakers can carry out their duties without interference. However, he stressed that those privileges do not prevent security agencies from acting where criminal allegations emerge.
“You can even be invited, placed under arrest, and have charges filed,” he stated.
He pointed to previous legal battles involving sitting legislators as evidence that criminal proceedings against MPs are not unprecedented in Ghana.
“We have had many cases; for example, there is the Ato Forson case. He was a sitting MP when the case was going on,” he said.
He further cited investigations involving Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and other recent anti-corruption probes as examples of lawmakers being subjected to legal scrutiny despite holding office.
“So, when it comes to crime, there is no immunity. We have had Mahama Ayariga’s case. We have had many, even recently,” he added.
The discussion comes after reports claimed that Ohene Kwame Frimpong travelled out of Ghana over the weekend and was intercepted by security officials after arriving in Amsterdam before reportedly going through immigration procedures.
The MP has already rejected allegations linking him to financial crimes and suspected human trafficking activities.
Unverified reports also suggest US authorities had previously investigated business operations allegedly associated with him in Chicago, including a restaurant and supermarket said to have been under scrutiny for suspected financial crimes.
According to the allegations, investigators believed the businesses may have been used to facilitate the movement of fraudulent funds connected to individuals currently imprisoned in the United States.
Additional reports claim that an FBI operation carried out years ago led to the arrest of several women allegedly brought from the United Kingdom to the United States and linked to multiple bank accounts suspected to have been used for transferring funds.
No official charges connected to the latest reports have been publicly announced, and authorities in both Ghana and the United States have yet to release detailed statements addressing the allegations.
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