EOCO’s reasons for seeking Manhyia South MP arrest warrant not justified – Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has rejected EOCO’s reasons for seeking a court warrant to arrest Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, including its claim that it had exhausted reasonable means of securing his voluntary attendance and feared relevant documents could be concealed, altered or destroyed.

According to Mr Kpebu, EOCO should have dealt directly with Parliament through the Speaker rather than communicating with the MP’s law firm.

“Those letters don’t cut mustard. Why would you send a letter to Baffour, his law firm? You know that it’s the MP you are looking for. Send it through Parliament,” he said on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, September 30.

He noted that the MP subsequently informed EOCO that he had forwarded its letter to the Speaker of Parliament, which, in his view, should have prompted the agency to follow the parliamentary procedure.

“In the second letter, you see that EOCO acknowledges that Baffour now told them that he has forwarded their letter to the Speaker of Parliament. It didn’t look tidy,” he said.

Mr Kpebu argued that pursuing the arrest through Parliament would avoid unnecessary controversy and allow EOCO to proceed with its investigation.

He also cautioned that arresting the MP at a social event could create further controversy and affect public confidence in the government.

“Let’s do something that doesn’t erode the government’s goodwill. Let’s do something that looks professional. Yes, just send a letter, and then the Speaker will make him available to EOCO,” he added.

The comments follow the High Court’s issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the Manhyia South MP as part of an EOCO investigation into alleged unauthorised financial transactions at SIC Life Savings & Loans Company Ltd.