OccupyGhana warns EOCO, BNI against using investigations as punishment

OccupyGhana has urged the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) and other investigative agencies with police powers to respect constitutional safeguards and ensure that investigations do not become a form of punishment.

The pressure group raised concerns over the use of frozen bank accounts, agency-imposed bail, travel restrictions, frequent reporting requirements and arrests in ongoing investigations, arguing that such measures must comply with due process.

In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, OccupyGhana stressed that efforts to combat corruption must be conducted within the law.

It cited the ongoing investigation into Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Ltd as a case requiring scrutiny, claiming that about 66 accounts belonging to the company and individuals associated with it had been frozen since April 2026.

According to the group, two PDS officials initially granted bail of GH¢50 million each had their bail amounts increased to GH¢100 million each within a week. The officials and two lawyers who accompanied them to the BNI were also reportedly required to report to EOCO three times a week.

OccupyGhana expressed concern that no one had been charged in the matter five months after the investigation began.

It said the state had alleged that the case involved the “stealing” of GH¢850 million from a CalBank account allegedly belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). EOCO, it added, had cited allegations relating to insurance guarantees, suspicious transactions and the possible dissipation of assets.

While acknowledging the need to investigate the allegations, the group warned that their seriousness should not be used to justify prolonged restrictions or excessive bail conditions.

“These are serious allegations and should be properly investigated. But the seriousness of an allegation cannot, by itself, justify indefinite restrictions, excessive bail or departure from constitutional safeguards,” it said.

OccupyGhana recounted that two PDS officials were detained by the BNI on April 30 and granted bail of GH¢50 million each, before the amounts were increased to GH¢100 million each on May 6.

It further alleged that two lawyers who accompanied their clients were identified as “persons of interest”, detained overnight and granted bail of GH¢50 million each.

“Whatever the merits of the underlying investigation, action against lawyers for representing clients raises a fundamental concern: the right to counsel safeguards everyone,” the group said.

The pressure group emphasised that its position was not intended to shield individuals from investigation or prosecution, but to ensure that the authorities respected due process.

It called for suspects to be charged and prosecuted where sufficient evidence existed, while urging that account freezes, bail conditions, reporting obligations and travel restrictions be lifted where the evidence did not justify them.

“Due process is not an obstacle to fighting corruption. It is what makes prosecutions sustainable and recoveries lawful,” it said.

OccupyGhana also called on the courts to expedite pending legal challenges, including the PDS judicial review and a Supreme Court action concerning bail imposed by investigative agencies.

It urged Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and Defence and Interior Committee to examine how EOCO and the BNI exercised their investigative powers, particularly where those powers affected the rights of persons under investigation.