Lawyer Vickie Bright had said EOCO has legitimate questions to investigate in the case involving Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, but the agency must also ensure that it exercises its powers lawfully and fairly.
Bright made the distinction while discussing the case with host Samson Lardy, saying the public should avoid treating the matter simply as either a legitimate fight against wrongdoing or a political prosecution.
“We need to resist the temptation to reduce this matter to a simple choice between justice and power play,” she said on Joy News.
For Bright, there are two separate questions. The first is whether EOCO has a legitimate basis to investigate the underlying transaction involving SIC Life Savings and Loans.
She said information already in the public domain raises questions about the settlement, who authorised it, the movement of funds and apparent anomalies in the documentation.
“From what we have seen in the public domain, I believe that there are questions that do warrant investigation,” she said on JoyNews’ Newsfile.
The second question, she argued, is how EOCO uses its investigative powers.
Bright noted that EOCO has considerable powers but said those powers must still be exercised within the law.
“The second question, which is equally important, is whether EOCO itself exercised its powers, and we know they have considerable powers, whether those powers are being exercised lawfully, proportionately and fairly in pursuing their investigation,” she said.
She said the two positions could exist at the same time.
“It’s possible for an investigation to be legitimate while aspects of the manner in which it is conducted raise legitimate rule of law concerns,” Bright said.
Her comments come as EOCO investigates alleged financial offences connected to a settlement involving SIC Life Savings and Loans. The agency has accused Awuah of offences including conspiracy, dissipation of public funds, intentionally causing financial loss to the state and money laundering. Awuah has pleaded not guilty.
Bright therefore urged the public to wait for evidence rather than reach conclusions about either Awuah’s guilt or EOCO’s motives.
“It’s important that we follow the evidence rather than presume either guilt or political prosecution,” she said.
