The Minority in Parliament has criticised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over what it calls excessive and unacceptable bail conditions imposed on the immediate past CEO of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Alhaji Abdul Hannan Wahab, and his wife.
Alhaji Wahab, who was the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Pusiga Constituency in the 2024 elections, and his wife, were picked up on Wednesday, June 25.
They are under investigation for alleged tax evasion, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state.
Alhaji Wahab was granted bail of GHS50 million with two sureties, both to be justified.
His wife was also granted bail of GHS30 million with two sureties, one of whom must be justified.
In a statement dated June 29 and signed by Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei, the NPP MPs described the bail terms as a form of pre-trial punishment.
“We find this unacceptable. Bail is not supposed to be a punishment or a pre-conviction sentence. It is a legal instrument meant to ensure an accused person’s availability for trial, not to punish or intimidate,” the statement read.
“These conditions, by all standards, are excessive. What is the justification for bail conditions that amount to financial punishment before trial? Where in our laws does it say someone must risk bankruptcy just to secure their freedom while under investigation?” they added.
The Minority also argued that the manner in which the couple was treated was not only harsh but humiliating, warning that it could set a dangerous precedent.
“We demand the immediate review of the bail conditions. They must be fair, reasonable, and consistent with the law — not an indirect punishment. Ghana must rise above politics of revenge and retaliation,” they added.
“We believe this is not about justice — it is political persecution,” the caucus stressed, adding that “power can be shifted in future.”
