Minority Leader Reveals Hours‑Long Wait, Arrest of Manhyia South MP at EOCO

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo‑Markin, described how the Manhyia South MP, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, arrived at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on Thursday, October 1, at 10:47 a.m., escorted by lawyers and some parliamentary colleagues. He was told he would be seen within 15 minutes, but waited for three to four hours before being called into an interrogation room after 2 p.m. After completing a personal profile form, officials left to seek clearance from the Director of Operations. Investigators later returned and asked the MP to give an overview of a 2018 case his firm handled for SIC Life. He complied, finishing the briefing around 4 p.m., when EOCO officers formally tapped his shoulders and announced his arrest. He was then taken to the MP’s law office in Dzorwulu for a search, during which some unrelated documents, including vehicle papers, were removed, though none related to the investigation were taken. The MP returned to EOCO at about 7:30 p.m., was placed again in an interrogation room and waited roughly an hour before investigators said further work was needed and decided to detain him. He was placed in custody at about 8 p.m., despite protests from his lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea. The following morning, investigators told him a second phase of the process would begin and that bail could be secured by midday, but no officials attended to him until after 2 p.m., when EOCO indicated it wanted to search his residence. His detention is part of an ongoing EOCO probe into financial transactions involving SIC Life Savings and Loans, a matter that stems from a warrant issued by the Accra High Court on October 1. The investigation alleges financial loss, dissipation of public funds and money laundering, though the charges remain under review. Afenyo‑Markin has used the episode to criticize what he calls politically motivated treatment of the MP by EOCO, urging the agency to release him and stop the intimidation.