Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has slammed the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over what he described as rambo-style arrest and detention of Dennis ‘Miracles’ Aboagye, former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD).
He described the agency’s actions as excessive and harmful to Ghana’s democracy and demanded the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General to urgently appear before Parliament to brief members on the investigative agency’s operations and the circumstances surrounding Aboagye’s arrest.
Speaking in Parliament during the presentation of the Business Statement yesterday, the Minority Leader stressed that things are happening that the House cannot remain silent about.
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Parliament, he said, has a constitutional duty to scrutinise the activities of state investigative agencies, warning that today’s actions against one political group could set a precedent for future governments.
“If we don’t talk about it today, tomorrow the other side may be wearing the shoe,” he cautioned.
Afenyo-Markin said although the Minority supports accountability and the fight against corruption, investigations must be conducted in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of suspects.
“We are not against accountability. We are against the Rambo-style approach,” he told the House.
The Minority Leader questioned EOCO’s decision to launch a Rambo-style arrest of Aboagye at the Kotoka International Airport and detain him for more than three days before granting him bail.
He also described the GH¢50 million bail with three sureties, two to be justified, as unduly harsh.
According to Afenyo-Markin, while the bail requirement does not necessarily require the payment of cash, the demand for sureties with properties worth GH¢50 million places an enormous burden on the accused.
“EOCO is demanding GH¢50 million worth of properties from the sureties. We know what that means when a state investigative agency imposes such conditions,” he argued.
The Minority leader maintained that the matter transcends partisan politics and should be viewed as a human rights issue.
He reminded Parliament that Aboagye had recently suffered personal losses during the devastating floods and was already dealing with emotional trauma before his arrest.
“He has a wife and children. He was affected by the floods and lost everything. He is already traumatised. Then you detain him for three days and tell him he must provide properties worth GH¢50 million before securing his freedom,” he said.
The Minority Leader further argued that EOCO could have simply invited Aboagye for questioning instead of carrying out what he described as a “Rambo-style” arrest.
“In any event, he had already been cooperating with EOCO whenever he was invited. Why the Rambo-style approach?” he questioned.
Afenyo-Markin warned political actors against endorsing what he called excessive actions by state institutions, stressing that governments change and today’s beneficiaries could become tomorrow’s victims.
“There is an election ahead. It can be somebody today and somebody else tomorrow. Let us not encourage these excesses,” he said.
The Minority Leader urged the Majority Leader to ensure that the Attorney-General appears before Parliament to explain EOCO’s actions and address concerns over alleged human rights violations.