The Accra High Court has authorised the Economic and Organised Crime Office, EOCO, to arrest Manhyia South Member of Parliament Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited.
The court also granted EOCO authority to search for and seize documents that investigators consider relevant to the inquiry, after the agency told the court that its efforts to secure the legislator’s voluntary attendance had been unsuccessful. EOCO further expressed concern that potentially relevant documents could be concealed, altered or destroyed.
Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem Sai confirmed the issuance of the warrant, stating that the investigation involves allegations relating to financial loss, the dissipation of public funds and money laundering. He said the warrant followed what the prosecution described as the MP’s failure to respond to invitations issued by EOCO since February 2026.
The development represents a further escalation of a dispute that has unfolded between the legislator and the organised crime investigation agency since February.
EOCO maintains that it invited Mr Baffour Awuah on two occasions in February to assist with its investigation and that he failed to honour those invitations. The Office subsequently attempted to take him into custody at the Accra High Court complex on September 23, an incident that resulted in a confrontation and attracted considerable public attention.
EOCO explained after that incident that the attempted arrest formed part of what it described as lawful measures to secure the MP’s attendance in connection with its investigation. The Office said the operation was ultimately discontinued after officers assessed that continuing the attempt could endanger public safety.
Mr Baffour Awuah has, however, disputed EOCO’s account of his cooperation with the investigation.
The legislator has explained that the February correspondence was directed to him in his former professional capacity as Senior Partner of Sarkodie Baffour Awuah and Partners, a law firm that had represented SIC Life Savings and Loans. He has maintained that, after receiving the invitation, he referred the matter to the Clerk to Parliament for guidance because he had by then become a Member of Parliament.
According to his account, a representative of the law firm subsequently appeared before EOCO on March 4, March 18 and April 30 and provided information requested by investigators, including a formal written statement submitted on April 30. He has therefore disputed the assertion that the investigation was ignored or that there had been no cooperation from his side.
The investigation is understood to concern financial dealings involving SIC Life Savings and Loans and the now defunct Equity Savings and Loans. Mr Baffour Awuah has previously explained that SIC Life had invested approximately GH¢3.5 million with Equity Savings and Loans and that the amount subsequently increased to about GH¢14 million after the accumulation of interest.
His former law firm was reportedly engaged to assist SIC Life in recovering the funds. EOCO has not publicly disclosed the complete details of the transactions or the precise evidence underpinning the allegations currently being investigated.
There have also been reports concerning an alleged 15 percent legal fee arrangement and purported payments associated with the former management of SIC Life. Those matters, however, remain allegations under investigation and have not been established by a court.
The September 23 attempted arrest had already generated debate about the manner in which EOCO sought to secure the MP’s attendance. Mr Baffour Awuah said at the time that the officials who approached him did not provide sufficient identification or an arrest warrant when he requested one. He subsequently left the area and proceeded to Parliament, where he explained his actions to journalists.
EOCO, for its part, has maintained that parliamentary membership does not terminate or prevent a criminal investigation, while also stating that it recognises the constitutional privileges and protections afforded to Members of Parliament.
The latest court order now provides EOCO with judicial authority to proceed with the arrest and to undertake searches and seizures connected to the investigation. The order follows the agency’s application to the High Court and its assertion that ordinary efforts to obtain the legislator’s attendance had been exhausted.
