Ghanaian lawmaker Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has denied allegations that he or his law firm, SBA and Partners, received GHS2.2 million in legal fees from a disputed GHS5 million payout. In an interview with MyJoyOnline, Baffour Awuah described the claims as untrue. The allegations are linked to ongoing financial impropriety investigations in Ghana. Baffour Awuah, the Manhyia South MP, has been at the center of controversy, including a recent encounter with an Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) agent that he claimed could have escalated into an abduction.
The disputed transaction is tied to a GHS5 million sum, with claims that GHS2.2 million was paid to Baffour Awuah or his firm as legal fees. Baffour Awuah has also denied that his firm or he transferred money to a former Managing Director of SIC Life Savings and Loans. The MP's denials come as Ghana's institutions face scrutiny over financial dealings, including a broader cocaine-trafficking scandal. The scandal has drawn national attention and raised concerns about oversight in state-linked financial entities.
A third allegation concerns the judicial sale of a property valued at GHS24 million, which Baffour Awuah claims never happened. He described the assertion as false and dismissed claims that GHS6 million was remitted from a purported buyer to him or his firm. The MP's response arrives as Parliament reconvened to grapple with the cocaine scandal. Opposition figures are pressing for a comprehensive investigation into the scandal and related financial impropriety allegations.
The allegations against Baffour Awuah are linked to his role as principal of SBA and Partners and his position as MP. The EOCO encounter that Baffour Awuah described as potentially escalating into an abduction had raised questions about the investigators' interest in the lawmaker and his firm. The backdrop of the allegations includes mounting pressure from civil society for lawmakers to act, including demands for a full parliamentary probe.
The cocaine-trafficking scandal has led to increased scrutiny of financial dealings in Ghana. A viral video resurfaced following a €225 million drug bust, and commentators have pushed back on political blame-shifting over 2018 cocaine policy. The scandal has raised concerns about how public funds, judicial processes, and financial institutions intersect.
SIC Life Savings and Loans, referenced in the allegations, is a subsidiary tied to Ghana's state insurance sector. Questions about money allegedly moved involving its former managing director speak to broader concerns about oversight in state-linked financial entities. The MP's denials add another layer to a story that touches on these concerns.
No timeline has been given for when any formal probe into the specific allegations against Baffour Awuah might begin. The origin and next steps of the allegations remain unclear, leaving open questions about the investigation. Baffour Awuah's response has not resolved the concerns surrounding his role in the disputed transaction.
Key points
- MP Baffour Awuah denies allegations of pocketing GHS2.2m in a disputed GHS5m transaction.
- The allegations are linked to ongoing financial impropriety investigations in Ghana.
- The MP's denials come as Parliament reconvened to grapple with the cocaine scandal.
