EOCO must follow lawful procedure in dealing with Baffour Awuah – Dafeamekpor

Majority Chief Whip and South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has criticised the manner in which an attempted arrest of Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, was carried out by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

The attempted arrest happened at the precincts of the Accra High Court on Wednesday, September 23.

Reacting to this, the Majority Chief Whip said the anti-graft agency must follow what he described as the established procedure for dealing with Members of Parliament who are required for investigations or other legal processes.

Dafeamekpor cited Article 117 of the 1992 Constitution, which provides protection to the Speaker, MPs and the Clerk to Parliament against the service or execution of civil or criminal processes while they are on their way to, attending, or returning from parliamentary proceedings.

He argued that the constitutional protection has, over time, been interpreted to require law enforcement agencies seeking to arrest an MP to channel the process through the Speaker of Parliament.

According to him, this procedure should be respected by EOCO and other state security agencies.

“It is therefore absolutely unacceptable for EOCO to seek to arrest a sitting Member of Parliament especially within the precincts of Court without applying the procedure in force regarding his Article 117 rights,” Dafeamekpor wrote in a social media post on the same day.

He also cautioned against conduct by law enforcement agencies that could undermine the authority and dignity of Parliament as a separate arm of government.

“EOCO and other law enforcement agencies must not relate and conduct themselves in a manner that constitutes infra dignitata & affront the powers, image, dignity and the general standing of Parliament of Ghana as a coequal Arm of Government,” he said.

The Majority Chief Whip stressed that Parliament’s leadership would resist any attempt to breach what he described as the established protocol and cordial relationship between Parliament and other state institutions, including EOCO.

“Let the law speak but let the law follow lawful procedure in Article 117 in doing so. We must all be guided,” Dafeamekpor added.