EOCO must reconsider excessive bail conditions – Duncan Amoah

The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has called on the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to review what he describes as excessive bail conditions imposed on persons accused of economic crimes.

His comments come amid renewed public discussion about EOCO’s conduct, particularly following the attempted arrest of the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, September 26, Mr Amoah said while EOCO has a mandate to investigate and pursue suspected economic and organised crimes, its bail conditions should not effectively keep accused persons in custody because they are unable to meet the financial requirements.

He said bail conditions should not become a substitute for imprisonment, particularly where the amounts demanded are beyond the means of the accused.

“I have seen a lot of write-ups and commentary on EOCO over the past year and 8 months. Some of the things I genuinely would want to bring to the attention of my brother Raymond Archer is that they should check the type of bail regime that they have been posting. I cannot sit and pretend that all is well. All is not well.

“If you are arrested on suspicion of a certain economic crime and they say that you have done something that made the state lose GH¢50 million and based on that, they proceed to post a bail of GH¢40 million and GH¢50 million and you are not a man of metal but one of straw, indirectly, the bail application will now be substituting for a prison sentence. I think that the lawyers should begin looking at those bail conditions.”