The Accra High Court has granted the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) a warrant to arrest Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, Hon. Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah. The court also authorized EOCO to search premises and seize relevant files. This development follows a public standoff at the Accra High Court premises on September 23, 2026. The case involves a dispute over a GH¢2.2 million fee payout and subsequent third-party transfers related to the SIC Life Savings and Loans Company.
According to EOCO, the MP was invited to assist with the investigation on two occasions in February 2026, but he failed to honor the invitations. EOCO stated that it had exhausted reasonable parameters to secure voluntary attendance, and concerns regarding the potential alteration or destruction of documents material to the case necessitated the application for an arrest and search warrant. The MP's law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, had been retained to pursue asset recovery for SIC Life Savings and Loans Company.
The MP's legal defense team argues that he was not personally the subject of the investigation, but rather the matter concerns historical recovery transactions involving SIC Life Savings and Loans Company. The MP claimed that he referred the matter to the Clerk of Parliament in line with his status as a legislator, and representatives from his law firm appeared before EOCO investigators on three separate dates. The MP's team disputes EOCO's assertions of non-cooperation.
A primary point of legal debate centers on whether a dispute over legal fees falls within professional regulatory bodies or state criminal investigations. The General Legal Council (GLC) and the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) establish standard scales of fees to evaluate the ethical behavior and billing reasonableness of practicing attorneys. However, if a financial transaction or fee structure is suspected of facilitating money laundering, tax evasion, or the active dissipation of public funds, the matter crosses into statutory criminality.
The roots of the current inquiry extend into institutional investment decisions and subsequent asset recovery actions spanning several years. The SIC Life Savings and Loans Company was originally licensed as a Finance House and later transitioned into a fully licensed Savings and Loans Company. Institutional management placed GH¢3.5 million into Equity Savings and Loans, which accumulated to approximately GH¢14 million following the distress of that institution. The law firm Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners was retained to pursue asset recovery.
The resolution of the high court application introduces a strict procedural framework governing how law enforcement interacts with the legislature. The presiding judge explicitly ordered that the arrest must be executed strictly through the Speaker of Parliament. This directive directly honors Articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution, which insulate sitting MPs from civil or criminal service while transit-bound or actively engaging in parliamentary proceedings.
Key points
- The Accra High Court grants EOCO a warrant to arrest MP Baffour Awuah over alleged financial irregularities.
- The case involves a dispute over a GH¢2.2 million fee payout and subsequent third-party transfers related to the SIC Life Savings and Loans Company.
- The investigation underscores a foundational legal axiom: political office provides procedural protection, not criminal immunity.
