Court authorises EOCO to arrest Manhyia South MP, conduct searches

The High Court has granted the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) permission to arrest the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, in connection with an ongoing investigation.

The court has also authorised the anti-graft agency to search for and seize documents it considers relevant to the investigation.

EOCO sought the orders after telling the court that attempts to secure the MP’s voluntary attendance had not yielded the desired outcome.

The Office further argued that there was a risk that documents relevant to the investigation could be concealed, tampered with or destroyed if the court did not grant the requested search and seizure orders.

The development comes days after a confrontation between EOCO officers and the MP at the Accra High Court on September 23, 2026, when officials attempted to arrest him.

EOCO subsequently stated that the attempted arrest was connected to an investigation for which Mr Baffour Awuah had allegedly been invited on two occasions in February 2026.

The MP has disputed EOCO’s account, insisting that he was not personally the subject of the investigation.

According to Mr Baffour Awuah, the matter concerns SIC Life Savings and Loans Company, which had previously engaged his former law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners.

He said that after receiving EOCO’s invitation in February, he referred the matter to the Clerk of Parliament because he had by then become an MP.

He explained that a representative of his former law firm subsequently appeared before EOCO investigators on March 4, March 18 and April 30, 2026.

According to him, the representative cooperated with the investigators and supplied information requested by the Office, including a written statement.

The investigation is understood to concern financial transactions involving SIC Life Savings and Loans and Equity Savings and Loans.

Mr Baffour Awuah has said his former law firm was engaged by SIC Life Savings and Loans to assist in recovering about GH¢3.5 million invested with Equity Savings and Loans.

He said the investment, together with accrued interest, later increased to approximately GH¢14 million before the parties reached a negotiated settlement.

EOCO has not publicly provided the full details of the investigation or disclosed the specific allegations being examined.

With the latest court order, however, the Office now has judicial authorisation to arrest the Manhyia South MP and search for and seize documents considered relevant to the investigation.