“He Talks Like a Carpenter, Not a Lawyer”: Frank Davies Slams Martin Kpebu
- Private legal practitioner Frank Davies has criticised fellow lawyer Martin Kpebu, questioning his understanding of due process
- The clash comes amid Martin Kpebu’s strong calls for the extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta
- Davies described Kpebu’s public statements as unprofessional, saying they make one wonder whether he is truly a lawyer
Private legal practitioner and member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Frank Davies, has taken his learned colleague, Martin Kpebu, to task, questioning his understanding of due process.
Source: UGC
Speaking on Joy News' Top Story show on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Davies, who is a member of the local legal team for the embattled former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, said Martin Kpebu's public statements sometimes make one wonder whether he is indeed a lawyer.
"I'm sorry to say this, but when the likes of Martin Kpebu talk, you wonder whether they are lawyers or carpenters, masons, or bricklayers," he said.
Read also
All there is to know about Richard Nii Armah Quaye's ex-wife Joana after divorce settlement
"Look at what Martin Kpebu is saying. What does he understand by due process? What exactly does Martin Kpebu understand by due process from what he's saying? He's talking like a street boy. That, Jorlo ee [thief], is that how a lawyer talks?" he further said.
"So, when the man [Ken Ofori-Atta] has not been charged, what does Martin Kpebu expect him to do? When he [Martin Kpebu] was arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), he was screaming that he had not been given the opportunity to call his wife. This is the kind of person who is condemning Ken?" he questioned.
Frank Davies made these remarks while speaking on Ofori-Atta's release from the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 8, 2026.
Ofori-Atta, who was detained in an ICE facility in Virginia for visa overstay, faces multiple corruption charges in Ghana.
However, checks by YEN.com.gh showed that searches of Ofori-Atta's name in the relevant detainee database return no results.
Watch the TikTok video below:
Ofori-Atta's legal battles in the US
It will be recalled that renowned Ghanaian journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, earlier reported that Ofori-Atta was arrested around 11 am on January 6, 2026, when he stepped out of his apartment in the Westlight building in Washington DC.
He said the Westlight building is situated in one of Washington DC’s most affluent neighbourhoods, about a 20-minute walk from the White House, and is known to house prominent personalities.
According to Manasseh, the arrest of the former Finance Minister seemed like a targeted operation, as it did not resemble the typical mass arrests carried out in public places.
Ken Ofori-Atta declined to meet with Ghana's consular officers in the US without his lawyers when his detention became public, according to an embassy statement on Facebook.
He made his first appearance in the immigration case hearing at a US court on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
The former Finance Minister attended the hearing dressed in black, wearing a face mask.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Ofori-Atta on January 7, 2026, over visa overstay issues.
Why Ofori-Atta is wanted in Ghana
The former Finance Minister reportedly left Ghana for the US between January 2 and 4, 2025, after the NPP lost the 2024 elections.
Following several unsuccessful attempts to get him to return home willingly to respond to corruption allegations, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, declared him wanted.
In November 2025, the OSP finally filed 78 corruption-related charges against Ofori-Atta and five others in relation to revenue assurance contracts between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
Lawyer Martin Kpebu has been one of the loudest critics of Ken Ofori-Atta's handling of Ghana's economy between 2017 and 2024.
The private legal practitioner has also been pressuring the Attorney General and the OSP to bring the former Finance Minister back into the country to answer for his alleged crimes.
Martin Kpebu's sustained advocacy for Ken Ofori-Atta's extradition has, perhaps, annoyed Frank Davies, leading to their clash on Joy News' Top Story show.
Source: UGC
Mahama speaks on Ofori‑Atta extradition case
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that President John Dramani Mahama had declined to comment on the US extradition request for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori‑Atta.
He urged patience as the matter unfolds within the American legal system. Ofori‑Atta was arrested by US ICE on January 6, 2026, over visa overstay issues.
Source: YEN.com.gh
