Manhyia South MP Baffour Awuah rejects EOCO fee claims over SIC judgement debt

Pinned summary · as of 16:03

Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, has pushed back against the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) after claims that his law firm was paid part of a judgement debt owed by SIC Life Savings and Loans. In a Facebook post on Saturday, 26 September, he questioned whether EOCO has any role in deciding what lawyers may charge and denied every element of the payments alleged against him.

What we know

• Mr Baffour Awuah posted on Facebook on Saturday, 26 September, asking whether EOCO has the authority to regulate or approve the professional fees that lawyers charge.
• He said the accusations against him keep changing: first that he ignored an invitation from EOCO, and now that he collected fees that had not been approved.
• Onua Online and The Publisher Online both reported an allegation that GH₵2.2 million from a GH₵5 million sum went to Mr Baffour Awuah or his firm, SBA and Partners, as legal fees. He denies that he or the firm received such a payment.
• The two publications also carried a claim that he or the firm passed funds to the person who was managing director at SIC Life Savings and Loans at the time. Mr Baffour Awuah rejects this.
• A further allegation, reported by both, is that a property sold at a judicial sale for GH₵24 million led to GH₵6 million reaching him or his firm from a buyer. Mr Baffour Awuah says no such sale happened, so no such money could have been paid.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Publisher Online reported that suspected security operatives tried and failed to arrest Mr Baffour Awuah at the Accra High Court in an earlier episode. It also reported EOCO's claim that certain individuals helped him avoid its officers, and that he disputes how the attempted arrest unfolded. No other report has confirmed these details.
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  None of the payment allegations has been established. The reports do not say who first made them or offer documents to support them, and the MP has denied each one.

Why it matters for Ghana

The dispute touches on how far state investigators may go in examining lawyers' charges, a question that matters to legal practitioners and their clients across Ghana. It also concerns the handling of a judgement debt tied to a financial institution, where savers and creditors look for transparency about who was paid. Because the person at the centre is a sitting MP and the state agency involved is EOCO, the exchange will shape how citizens judge both public office holders and the agency's methods.