Feature: Unnecessary Bickering Contretemps
External bodies – such as law enforcement agencies (e.g. EOCO Police) or private individuals seeking official Parliamentary actions – cannot serve legal processes, official summons or critical institutional letters directly to an MP on the premises … Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, Speaker 7th Parliament. You may not be a logophile (lover of words) or a […] The post Feature: Unnecessary Bickering…
A disagreement erupted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2021, between a lady from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, a Member of Parliament (MP) from the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The incident occurred at the High Court in Accra, as Salomey Awiti Bafoe, a 40-year-old nurse, faced legal charges.
Salomey is allegedly linked to "Ghana Jollof," a controversial social media figure who spread rumors of coups in Ghana. Her alleged associate, Nurse Awiti, was picked up by national security operatives at midnight and brought to Accra for questioning.
Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, Salomey's lawyer, argued against the bail refusal, citing Article 19(2)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, which states that a person is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. However, the judge, Her Honour Angela Attachie, upheld the bail refusal, citing S96(5) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act 1960 (Act 30), which outlines reasons why bail may be denied, such as the accused's intent to interfere with witnesses or evidence, or committing further offenses.
The incident took a confrontational turn outside the court, with both sides exchanging heated words and gestures. MP Awuah refused to board the EOCO-provided vehicle, while the EOCO representative unsuccessfully attempted to board the MP's car. The EOCO lady jumped into a white pick-up and attempted to chase the MP, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
On the same day, another controversy unfolded as police attempted to arrest the MP at his place of worship, the Believers House of Prayer Ministries, but were unsuccessful. The incident raised questions about the separation of MPs from legal processes and whether they are above the law. In response, MP Awuah admitted to collecting a substantial amount of legal fees from a company called SIC in an interview on TV3's "Key Points" program on October 26, 2021.
Written by urgent.news from The Chronicle Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
