POLITICS

Stop running commentary on our investigations – A-G warns EOCO

Ms Gloria Afua Akuffo, the Attorney-General has asked the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to open itself to the public but to avoid running commentary on its investigations.

According to her speaking in public about their investigations could only frustrates their efforts as well as give out too much information to criminals to change their mode of operations.

“Criminals are always waiting to cover their tracks and therefore coming out to speak constantly about a matter, makes it easier for them to cover up and therefore frustrating the outcome of the investigations,” she stressed.

She advised that the statutory body should avoid following rumours and suspicions so as not to not embarrass themselves.

Ms Akuffo said this at EOCO’s maiden national stakeholders’ forum in Accra aimed at interacting with stakeholders and share information on cases investigated, prosecutions and convictions obtained as well as recoveries and confiscations made.

The forum formed part of EOCO’s efforts to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of its operations and to provide the opportunity for constructive review and evaluation of the institution since its inception.

It was under the theme, “Combating Organised Crime in Ghana: A shared Responsibility” and was sponsored by the EU-funded Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP), in partnership with the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

The Attorney-General announced that the Witness protection Act made provision for vulnerable witnesses to be taken outside the country for protection, even if it meant changing the appearance of the person a little for the sake of protection.

She said organized crime has become a social canker, which needed to be dealt with and at the same time “holding our democracy high” and urged Ghanaians to collaborate with investigators to enable them to be part of problem solving.

Ms Akuffo also solicited the support of the media in the fight against organised crime and corruption.

COP Frank Adu-Poku (Rtd), the Executive Director for EOCO, said from 20 14 to March 2019, the outfit recovered GHC99, 165,369.29 being proceeds of crime.

He said ”These are resources which otherwise could have been dissipated and lost to the State”.

He announced that during the same period a total of 1,855 cases have been investigated among which included tax fraud, personation, defrauding by false pretences, money laundering, prohibited cyber activities, bank fraud, payroll fraud and human trafficking.

COP Adu-Poku (Rtd) noted that majority of cases were on prohibited cyber activity including romance scams where many of the youth engaged their foreign victims online and succeed in ripping them off of huge sums of money usually in foreign currencies.

The event was attended by the representatives of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Transparency International, Institute of Economic Affairs, STAR Ghana, CHRAJ, NCCE, PIAC, Office of the Special Prosecutor, Ghana Police Service, Financial Intelligence Centre, Bank of Ghana, Ghana Immigration Service and Food and Drugs Authority, among others.

 

Source: ghananewsagency.org

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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