Six times EOCO has come under scrutiny over its investigations in 2026

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) appears to have come under increasing scrutiny in 2026 over the way it has handled investigations involving public officials.

From the detention of former government officials to disputed arrests and a recent attempted arrest of a sitting Member of Parliament at the precincts of an Accra High Court, several of the agency's cases have raised concerns.

This GhanaWeb article chronicles six instances in 2026 where EOCO's handling of arrests, detention or investigations came under scrutiny.

Miracles Aboagye's detention

Former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD), Dennis 'Miracles' Aboagye, was arrested by EOCO over alleged financial and procurement irregularities involving about GH¢55 million in June 2026.

He was arrested at the Accra International Airport by an officer of the Ghana Immigration Service and handed to EOCO.

It further stated that Aboagye was placed on the Stop Order a week ago to prevent any sudden travel that could impede the investigation.

Aboagye expressed deep shock and worry after discovering that his name had been placed on the EOCO travel stop list.

He questioned the basis for the decision, emphasising that he had never attempted to evade investigators and had consistently honoured invitations for questioning.

EOCO said the arrest followed investigations into a forensic audit covering the operations of the IMCCoD Secretariat between August 2022 and February 2025.

Aboagye was subsequently granted GH¢50 million bail with three sureties, two of whom were required to be justified.

However, he remained in custody for more than 48 hours because he had not yet been able to meet the bail conditions.

His continued detention generated political and public discussion, with supporters gathering outside the EOCO office to demand his release.

He was eventually released after satisfying the bail requirements.

Aboagye has denied the allegations against him and said there was no discussion between him and EOCO about the GH¢55 million figure during his detention.

Former NAFCO boss Hanan Abdul-Wahab

Former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab has also had several encounters with EOCO in 2026.

His case attracted attention after his arrest and subsequent release in May, followed by a further recall by the agency.

EOCO Executive Director Raymond Archer defended the agency's handling of the matter, saying investigators had acted within the law and had not exceeded the 48-hour period allowed for detention without court authorisation.

The matter resurfaced on July 4, 2026, as he was waiting to board his flight, armed officers from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) arrested him.

The state alleged he was attempting to use false means to access funds from a frozen Republic Bank account and intended to abscond. During the arrest, EOCO seized his passport, along with cash (£6,700 and GH¢2,750) and two mobile phones

EOCO said the arrest was connected to an investigation into an alleged attempt to access his frozen bank account using false means before travelling to the United Kingdom.

His lawyers, however, challenged aspects of the arrest and detention and complained about items allegedly taken from him, including his passport, phones and money.

His legal team, led by former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, has heavily criticised the state for holding onto the passport. While the court’s original order stated the passport should be returned to the court registry by July 14, 2026, EOCO continues to physically hold the passport.

The former NAFCO boss has denied wrongdoing.

Kofi Jumah and the GH¢55 million bail

Former GIHOC Distilleries Managing Director Maxwell Kofi Jumah was arrested in April 2026 as part of an EOCO investigation into alleged financial irregularities.

The arrest came after his lawyers had already raised concerns about a search of his Atonsu residence by EOCO officers.

His lawyers described the search as unlawful and indicated that they intended to challenge the action in court.

After his arrest, Jumah was granted GH¢55 million bail.

But the bail did not immediately translate into freedom.

He remained in custody because his legal team had not been able to satisfy the conditions attached to the bail.

The situation attracted further attention after reports that he was taken to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital while still unable to meet the bail requirements.

The case brought renewed attention to the question of whether very high bail conditions can, in practice, leave a suspect in custody even after a court has granted bail.

Mildred Donkor's account in the Adu-Boahen case

Another account that put EOCO's detention practices under the spotlight came from prosecution witness Mildred Donkor during the trial of former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahen.

Donkor was initially an accused person in the case but was later withdrawn from the prosecution and called as a witness for the state.

While testifying, she told the High Court about her experience at EOCO during the investigation.

She said she was invited while nursing her baby and reported to the agency with the child.

According to her testimony, she spent long hours at EOCO over several days, sometimes remaining there from morning until late at night.

She was eventually granted bail and required to report to EOCO daily.

Donkor described the experience as traumatic and told the court that she later sought counselling.

Her testimony brought the conditions under which people are held during EOCO investigations into focus.

It is important to note, however, that this particular issue concerns Donkor's detention during the investigation, rather than a 2026 detention of Adu-Boahen himself.

Kwamigah-Atokple and EOCO's 'wanted' declaration

The case involving a Council of State member, Dr Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple and Sesi-Edem Company Limited brought EOCO’s investigative powers under direct legal scrutiny.

The dispute followed an investigation by EOCO into an alleged GH¢57.7 million gold transaction involving Sesi-Edem Company Limited.

EOCO to prosecute two persons for aiding Manhyia South MP’s escape from arrest

In March 2026, the High Court ruled in favour of the company in a case challenging EOCO’s decision to freeze its bank accounts.

The court held that EOCO had acted outside its statutory mandate in freezing the accounts, finding that the dispute surrounding the transaction was essentially contractual rather than a matter of fraud or money laundering.

The matter did not end there.

EOCO subsequently issued a statement saying Dr Kwamigah-Atokple was a person of interest in its investigation and indicated that it would continue pursuing the matter through lawful means.

This led to another legal challenge.

In April 2026, the High Court granted an interim injunction restraining EOCO from continuing its investigation into the transaction and from inviting, detaining or arresting the directors of Sesi-Edem pending the determination of the substantive case.

The development placed the agency's investigative powers under further scrutiny, particularly the extent to which EOCO could intervene in a dispute that the court had characterised as contractual.

High Court Drama: ‘I’m surprised EOCO boss is still at post’ – Amakye Boateng

There was also a dispute over EOCO’s description of Dr Kwamigah-Atokple as a wanted person. While reports and the court proceedings referred to a wanted declaration, EOCO later told the court that he had never formally been declared wanted and that its earlier statement had simply identified him as a person of interest.

“No formal ‘wanted’ notice has ever been issued or published by the Respondent against the Applicant or its directors in the dedicated WANTED PERSONS section of the EOCO website, where it publishes persons officially declared wanted by the Respondent," it stated.

Baffour Awuah and the attempted arrest at the High Court

The latest incident came on September 23, 2026, when EOCO officers attempted to arrest Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, at the Accra High Court.

The incident happened after the MP had appeared in court as a lawyer for a client.

Video from the scene showed an EOCO officer attempting to stop him as he was leaving the court premises.

Baffour Awuah said the officer told him he was required at EOCO and attempted to take him into custody while he was on his way to Parliament.

EOCO later said the attempted arrest was connected to an ongoing investigation and that it had invited the MP on two occasions in February 2026 but the MP failed to honour the invitations.

The agency said the arrest was not completed after its officers assessed that further action at the scene could create a public-safety risk.

Baffour Awuah has disputed EOCO's account of the invitations and questioned the manner in which the attempted arrest was carried out.

The incident has since triggered a wider debate about the arrest of MPs and the procedure to be followed when an MP is required to assist an investigating agency.

These cases are different, but they have one thing in common: they have brought aspects of EOCO's work into public and legal scrutiny.

The issues range from the length of detention and the conditions attached to bail to searches of properties, repeated arrests, wanted declarations and the manner in which officers execute arrests.

EOCO has maintained that it is operating within its legal mandate and has defended its actions in several of the cases.

But as investigations involving public officials and politically exposed persons continue, the agency's use of its powers will continue to remain a subject of close attention.

JKB/VPO

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