The Minority in Parliament has asked the Acting Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Raymond Archer, to lead the institution with integrity and avoid using it to settle political scores.
“We urge the Acting
Executive Director, Mr Raymond Archer, to act with integrity. He must remember that how he
handles this will define his legacy. Posterity is watching. Ghana is bigger than any political party,
and the abuse of institutional power will not be forgotten,” they said.
This follows the arrest and bail of the immediate past CEO of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Alhaji Abdul Hannan Wahab, and his wife, Awere, over allegations of tax evasion, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state.
They were both picked up in a joint EOCO operation in Accra and Tamale on Wednesday, June 25.
According to the Minority, the bail conditions imposed, GHS50 million for Wahab and GHS30 million for his wife, are not only harsh but politically motivated.
A statement signed by Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei on June 29 said the arrest was executed as though the couple were fugitives, and the bail terms amounted to 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 Minority stated.
They cited Section 96 of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), and the Supreme Court ruling in Kpebu No. 2 v Attorney-General, saying the law requires bail to be reasonable and tailored to the accused’s financial capacity.
“We believe this is not about justice — it is political persecution,” the Minority said, warning that today’s actions could set a dangerous precedent.
They called on civil society, religious leaders, and the media to speak out against what they described as a creeping abuse of state power.
“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.
