Security and safety analyst Dr. Adam Bonaa has leveled accusations of dishonesty and corruption against the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).
Speaking on the standoff between EOCO and the Office of the Special Prosecutor regarding investigations into former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Dapaah, Dr. Bonaa openly questioned the integrity of EOCO’s operations.
“Hello, I am Adam Bonaa, a citizen of this country and not a spectator, as the president enjoined us to be some time ago. I am using this media to invite Parliament and, by extension, the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament, to institute a probe into the Cecilia Dapaah cash saga.
“I have a feeling EOCO is not telling us the truth, and I can say with certainty that EOCO has now become the headquarters of corruption. There is a need to investigate what happened between these two institutions under the executive.
“These two institutions, EOCO and the Special Prosecutor, are both under the Attorney General’s office, and so to have EOCO handed over the file to investigate a money laundering issue, which comes under them, and to have EOCO come back and later tell us that they couldn’t do anything about it, if you ask me, it is mind-boggling. As a citizen and not a spectator, I would ask the Right Honourable Speaker and, by extension, Parliament, to institute a probe. That is the only way we would know,” he stated.
Dr. Bonaa, hinting at potential undisclosed activities within EOCO, made a direct plea to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, not only to launch an investigation but also to broaden its scope, potentially encouraging more Ghanaians to come forward with information.
In a direct accusation, Dr. Bonaa singled out the Executive Director of EOCO, COP Maame Tiwaa, for lacking transparency with the Ghanaian populace, demanding full disclosure of the case involving the money discovered at Madam Dapaah’s residence and its link to the Special Prosecutor.
“There are a lot of things that are going on in EOCO that some of us find very unfortunate, and probably if these things begin to unfold, maybe if the speaker is minded to give an extended terms of reference, which is not to say that I know what is going to happen, but if the speaker would do this, I believe that we are going to have Ghanaians come out and tell the committee, if there is to be a bipartisan probe, what they know,” he added.
Previously, the Office of the Special Prosecutor had probed Cecilia Dapaah for corruption and related offenses after her domestic staff were accused of stealing significant sums of money and valuables from her residence.
Despite an extensive investigation, the Office of the Special Prosecutor discontinued the case and transferred the docket to EOCO, which, following advice from the Attorney General’s office, opted to return the file to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.