The Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana has filed three criminal charges against Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South. The charges, filed at the High Court's Specialised Jurisdiction Division in Accra on October 3, 2026, include conspiracy to commit a crime, intentionally causing financial loss to a public body, and money laundering. These charges stem from Awuah's alleged involvement in the mishandling of funds belonging to SIC Life Savings & Loans Company Limited.
According to the charge sheet, Awuah, while acting as a lawyer for SIC Life, conspired with the company's then Managing Director in 2024 to dissipate GH¢9.85 million belonging to the company. The second count alleges that he intentionally caused SIC Life to suffer a financial loss of GH¢9.85 million in the course of a business transaction. The third count alleges that Awuah transferred GH¢1 million to the then Managing Director of SIC Life, knowing that the money had been acquired through crime.
The case arose from a legal engagement between SIC Life and Equity Savings and Loans Limited. In May 2020, SIC Life engaged Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, the law firm of which Awuah is the Senior Partner, to recover a debt of GH¢6.3 million from Equity Savings and Loans Limited. The law firm was to receive 15% of the principal sum claimed as professional fees, together with 1% for expenses.
In July 2022, the High Court's Commercial Division entered summary judgment in favour of SIC Life against Equity in the sum of GH¢10.86 million. A 31.93-acre parcel of land belonging to Equity at Adamorobe, Oyibi, was subsequently attached in December 2023 in execution of the judgment. The facts state that a revised judgment dated May 28, 2024, increased the judgment debt to GH¢14.85 million, including interest and costs.
The State alleges that while the property was under attachment, Equity purportedly sold it to Eco Swiss Investment Limited on March 14, 2024, for GH¢21.76 million. However, investigators found that Eco Swiss had not been incorporated at the time it purportedly acquired the property. The State further alleges that Awuah was instrumental in arranging the transaction. By July 2024, Eco Swiss had paid only GH¢5 million of the purchase price.
On July 18, 2024, SIC Life, Equity, and Eco Swiss entered into Terms of Settlement under which SIC Life agreed to accept GH¢5 million from Eco Swiss in full and final settlement of the revised GH¢14.85 million judgment debt. The settlement terms also provided for the payment of 15% of the original judgment debt to Awuah and his law firm as legal fees, amounting to GH¢2.2 million.
Awuah voluntarily surrendered to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on October 1, 2026, following a High Court warrant issued on September 30. He is expected to be arraigned before the High Court's Specialised Jurisdiction Division in Accra. Parliament has expressed concern over his continued detention, with Speaker Alban Bagbin calling for restraint and fairness in the exercise of coercive powers.
Key points
- Baffour Awuah faces charges of conspiracy, financial loss, and money laundering related to the handling of a legal case involving SIC Life Savings & Loans Company Limited.
- The charges stem from the alleged dissipation of GH¢9.85 million and a transfer of GH¢1 million to the Managing Director of SIC Life.
- Awuah's case has raised concerns in Parliament, with Speaker Alban Bagbin advocating for fairness in the exercise of coercive powers.
