Parliament has confirmed that the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Kwame Ohene Frimpong, has been detained at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

A statement issued by the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, said the matter had been brought to the attention of the House and was currently being addressed by parliamentary leadership.

According to the statement, the Rt Hon Speaker and the leadership of Parliament are in contact with Ghana’s diplomatic mission in The Hague to obtain detailed information regarding the incident.

“The public will be duly informed appropriately on this matter,” the statement said.

No further details were provided regarding the circumstances surrounding the detention.

Recent reports and denials

Persons close to him allege that the MP travelled out of Ghana on Saturday evening and arrived in Amsterdam on Sunday morning, where he was reportedly picked up by security officials before completing immigration procedures.

In the recent past, the MP had denied allegations linking him to suspected financial crimes and human trafficking-related offences.

Sources behind the claims further allege that the MP had previously been under investigation by US law enforcement agencies over suspected financial crimes linked to an African restaurant and supermarket business in Chicago several years ago.

According to the allegations, the business was supposedly used as a conduit for moving suspected fraudulent funds connected to individuals who are currently serving prison sentences in the United States.

The reports also claim that the FBI had monitored the activities for years following an alleged raid on the business premises, during which several women said to have been sponsored from the United Kingdom to the United States were reportedly arrested in connection with multiple bank accounts allegedly used to transfer funds.

The women were reportedly Ghanaian-British citizens.

When these claims first emerged, Kwame Frimpong issued denials and pointed to persons he said wished him ill.

“There are people who ignore all the positive things I have been doing. Instead, they focus on spreading lies and wishing me ill,” he stated.

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