Baffour Awuah arrested over conspiracy, financial loss and money laundering – EOCO

Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has been granted a hefty GH¢50 million bail following his detention by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO). The legislator willingly presented himself at EOCO’s offices on Thursday, October 1, at around 10 a.m. to aid their ongoing probe. This event transpired after EOCO secured an arrest warrant for Baffour Awuah from the Accra High Court, as their previous attempts to get him to appear for questioning had not borne fruit.

The investigation hinges on allegations of criminal conspiracy, financial loss to SIC Savings and Loans, money laundering, and tax-related offenses, among other suspected breaches of law. However, Baffour Awuah has firmly denied the accusations of receiving GH¢2.2 million in legal fees and also disputed EOCO's account of their prior attempts to secure his presence.

EOCO has maintained that their inquiry is still ongoing and has cautioned against drawing conclusions regarding the MP's guilt before the relevant investigative and judicial processes have been completed. This development has also prompted Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to challenge EOCO to intensify its efforts in identifying and prosecuting individuals financing and coordinating Ghana-linked drug trafficking operations.

In a Facebook post, Afenyo-Markin expressed his dissatisfaction with EOCO's apparent focus on arresting and investigating opposition politicians, urging the agency to broaden its scope of work beyond individual suspects to include the financiers and organisers of drug trafficking networks linked to Ghana.

The probe involving Baffour Awuah continues, with EOCO yet to finalize their investigation.