EOCO Investigation: What We Know About the Baffour Awuah Case

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has confirmed that an investigation involving Manhyia South Member of Parliament Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah is still ongoing, a day after an attempted arrest at the Accra High Court sparked a public dispute between the lawmaker and the anti-corruption agency.

The issues happened on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, shortly after Baffour Awuah had appeared at the High Court as a lawyer representing Salomey Awiti Baffoe in a bail application.

Footage of the confrontation at the court premises circulated widely on social media, showing an EOCO official attempting to stop the MP as he moved towards his vehicle.

According to EOCO, the attempted arrest was part of steps taken to secure Baffour Awuah's attendance in an ongoing investigation. The agency said it had invited him twice in February 2026 to assist with the investigation but that he did not honour the invitations.

EOCO said the situation became tense during the attempted arrest and officers eventually decided not to proceed because further action could have created a risk to public safety.

The agency has maintained that its officers were acting in the discharge of their statutory responsibilities. It has also acknowledged Baffour Awuah's position as a Member of Parliament, stressing that it recognises the constitutional privileges and immunities afforded to MPs.

However, EOCO says parliamentary status does not automatically bring an investigation to an end or place an individual beyond the reach of the law.

Baffour Awuah disputes EOCO's account

Baffour Awuah has given a different account of how the incident unfolded.

Speaking after the incident, the MP said a woman approached him outside the court and identified herself as an EOCO official. He said she asked him to accompany her to the agency's office but that he requested identification and proof of the authority under which he was being taken into custody.

The MP said he offered to drive himself to EOCO in his own vehicle, but the official insisted that he use an EOCO vehicle.

According to his account, that raised concerns about his safety, leading him to drive away from the court and proceed to Parliament.

Baffour Awuah has also disputed EOCO's claim that he simply ignored earlier invitations.

What is the investigation about?

A letter from EOCO that has resurfaced in connection with the dispute provides more background.

The correspondence was addressed to Baffour Awuah in February 2026 in his capacity at the law firm Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners. Reports indicate that the matter concerned an investigation involving SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited, a client of the firm.

Lawyers representing Baffour Awuah say the MP was not personally the subject of the investigation. They maintain that the correspondence was received in his capacity as senior partner of the law firm.

They further say that after Baffour Awuah referred the matter to the Clerk to Parliament, a representative of the law firm engaged with EOCO and attended three sessions in March and April.

According to the lawyers, the representative provided information requested by investigators and submitted a written statement to EOCO on April 30. They therefore reject the suggestion that the MP simply refused to cooperate with the investigation.

EOCO, however, continues to maintain that Baffour Awuah had personally been invited on two occasions in February to assist with the investigation.

Questions over the attempted arrest

The dispute has now moved beyond the original investigation, with questions being raised about the circumstances surrounding the attempted arrest and the relationship between parliamentary privileges and law-enforcement powers.

Legal practitioner Samson Lardy Anyenini has argued that Article 117 of Ghana's Constitution does not provide Members of Parliament with blanket immunity from arrest. He noted that the constitutional protection applies specifically when an MP is on the way to, attending, or returning from parliamentary proceedings.

At the same time, EOCO has said it will operate within the Constitution and respect parliamentary privileges.

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called for scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding law-enforcement attempts to arrest individuals on court premises.

What happens next?

For now, the central issue remains unresolved.

EOCO says its investigation is continuing, while Baffour Awuah's legal team disputes the agency's account of the earlier invitations and the circumstances that led to Wednesday's confrontation.

The incident has also generated wider discussion about how law-enforcement agencies should conduct investigations involving sitting MPs and whether arrests or invitations should be handled differently when a lawmaker is appearing in court as legal counsel.

As of September 24, no final finding of wrongdoing against Baffour Awuah has been established in relation to the investigation. The matter remains under investigation, and the competing accounts from EOCO and the MP's legal team are likely to remain the subject of further scrutiny.

Em News will continue to follow the case as more information emerges from EOCO, Parliament and the parties involved.