Parliament Expresses Concern Over Continued Detention of Manhyia South MP by EOCO

Parliament has expressed grave concern over the continued detention of the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Hon. Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).

In a statement issued on October 3, 2026, and signed by the Director of Media Relations, David Sebastian Damoah, Parliament said it learnt with concern that the MP continues to be held after voluntarily presenting himself to EOCO following reports that the High Court had issued a warrant for his arrest.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, considers the circumstances surrounding the detention a matter of serious concern to Parliament, raising questions about the rights of the Member, the privileges and independence of Parliament, and the proper exercise of investigative powers.

Parliament affirmed that Members of Parliament are not above the law and that where a Member is reasonably suspected of having committed an offence, the law must take its course. At the same time, it noted that Members do not act merely in their personal capacities and that the law recognizes certain safeguards governing interactions between Members and other organs of state.

Those safeguards, the statement said, are intended not to shield Members from accountability, but to protect the independence of Parliament and the mandate of the people they represent.

According to the statement, the Speaker has been informed that the High Court directed EOCO to enforce the warrant against the Member.

The Speaker has not yet seen the terms of that directive and therefore does not purport to interpret it.

However, Parliament holds that once the Member voluntarily presented himself and submitted to EOCO’s processes, any decision to continue holding him in custody ought to have a clear and demonstrable basis in law and necessity.

Parliament said it is particularly concerned about the necessity and proportionality of detaining a Member who voluntarily reported to EOCO and cooperated with the process.

It stressed that the power to arrest or detain is a serious coercive power of the State that must always be exercised lawfully, reasonably and with due regard for constitutional rights and dignity.

Where the purpose of securing a person’s attendance has already been achieved through voluntary appearance, continued detention should not become routine or punitive, and every reasonable effort should have been made to place him before the Court at the earliest lawful opportunity.

The statement noted that this is not the first time questions have arisen concerning the arrest, detention or prosecution of sitting Members of Parliament since the advent of the Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic, demonstrating the need for greater clarity on applicable procedures.

Parliament will therefore examine the existing constitutional and statutory framework and, where necessary, consider appropriate legislation to ensure accountability, due process and the rule of law coexist with the independence and effective functioning of Parliament.

In a call for institutional restraint, Parliament urged all state institutions and public officials to exercise coercive powers with restraint, fairness and full respect for constitutional rights.

The Speaker reiterated that a political opponent is not a political enemy, and that past excesses cannot justify present excesses, adding that Ghana cannot build a stronger democracy by perpetuating a cycle in which questionable conduct is defended merely because similar conduct occurred under a previous administration.

Parliament urged that all matters concerning Hon. Nana Agyei Baffuor Awuah be handled strictly in accordance with the Constitution, the law and all applicable orders of the courts, with full respect for his rights and without any unnecessary interference with the constitutional work of Parliament.

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