Lawyer details encounter with EOCO boss after RTI request

A private legal practitioner, Kwesi Botchwey, has opened up about his encounter with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following a Right to Information (RTI) request he filed over claims of an alleged GH¢600 million recovery by the institution.

According to him, the request was prompted by a public statement made by President John Dramani Mahama during the 2026 SONA regarding funds allegedly retrieved by EOCO.

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Explaining the basis of his request in an interview on Starr FM on April 1, 2026, he said he formally wrote to EOCO seeking a breakdown of the amount cited.

“I filed a simple RTI to EOCO that the presidency makes the claim that you have recovered GH¢600 million. Provide me with the details of the recovery,” he stated.

He disclosed that EOCO responded to his request with a directive he found unusual and inconsistent with the RTI law.

He said the response, signed by EOCO’s Executive Director, Raymond Archer, required him to personally present his Ghana Card.

“EOCO wrote back to me in a letter signed by Raymond Archer, the Executive Director, asking me to bring my Ghana card in person and hand it to the him, in person. How is this a response to my RTI? This happened I think two weeks ago,” he said.

Kwesi Botchwey indicated that he replied to EOCO, challenging the directive and citing provisions of the RTI Act.

He explained that he provided an alternative form of identification as permitted by law.

“I also responded to the letter categorically mentioning that there is nowhere in the RTI law that says that I should submit my Ghana card to the Executive Director in person. And so, I attached my voter’s ID card to say that in accordance with section 18 of the Right to Information Act, in case they need my identification to verify my identity, my voter’s ID is also a form of identification as stated by law,” he explained.

He further emphasised that the law clearly outlines multiple acceptable forms of identification for RTI applicants.

“The laws are clear. In fact, the manual to the Right to Information Act is clear that the voter’s ID, the driver’s license, the passport, the birth certificate, the Ghana card inclusive are all modes of proving one’s identity,” he added.

The lawyer insisted that there was no legal basis for EOCO’s request that he should appear in person before the Executive Director.

He insisted that he would not comply with such a directive.

“And so, I do not need to walk into the offices of EOCO as an applicant requesting public information to submit my ID card to the Executive Director in person. And so I didn’t do it,” he stressed.

Kwesi Botchwey also revealed plans to seek legal redress over the matter after the Easter break.

He said he would invoke provisions of the RTI Act at the High Court.

“After the Easter break, I intend going to the High Court in accordance with section 34 of the Act. I’m going to exercise my right,” he noted.

He added that EOCO, in its response, expressed displeasure over his decision to publicise the request in the media.

Addressing this concern, he defended his actions, stressing the importance of transparency in governance.

“EOCO, in their letter stated that they were unhappy with the fact that I published my request in the media. You see, in this journey of accountability, transparency is a critical anchor of accountability,” he said.

He further linked his actions to broader principles of governance and accountability.

“NDC is a party founded on probity and accountability. You cannot seek accountability without transparency and so I wrote to the agency,” he added.

The lawyer also served notice that he would continue to make public any correspondence he receives from EOCO on the matter.

“…And so let me send this notice that every single correspondence they share with me will be published. There’s nothing confidential about a statement,” he stated.

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He argued that the information he is requesting is already in the public domain, given that the President made reference to it in a national address, while questioning attempts to treat the details as confidential.

“The president himself made a public statement about it. In addressing the nation, to say that you have recovered X amount of money. As a private citizen, I write to you that given the details of the X amount of money… provide me with the details of the information that the president alluded to, then you tell me that we should run it in secrecy,” he questioned.

NPP's Kwesi Botchway Esq. details his encounter with EOCO's Raymond Archer after exercising his right...#StarrFM #EIBNetwork#StarrFM #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/7ZPeMY77G3

— Starr 103.5 FM (@starr1035fm) April 1, 2026