Lawyer Lawrence Kwesi Botchway Jnr has petitioned the Right to Information (RTI) Commission to step in after a government agency, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), refused to share details about GH¢600 million in recovered funds.
In his petition filed on April 24, 2026, he accused the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) of blocking his legal right to see how the state handled this money.
The issue began after the President mentioned these recoveries during the 2026 State of the Nation Address. On March 2, Botchway asked EOCO for a clear breakdown of the cases, the names of the people involved, and proof that the money actually reached public bank accounts.
Instead of providing the data, EOCO told the lawyer he must bring his Ghana Card to their office in person before they would even process the request.
Botchway finds this demand both strange and illegal. He argued that the law only requires “proof of identity” and does not force a citizen to use one specific ID card or show up at an office.
To prove his point, he sent a certified copy of his Voter ID, yet EOCO has remained silent for over a month.
“EOCO failed to make a decision on the request within 14 days as required by Section 23(1),” he noted in his petition.
The lawyer believes the public has every right to know where this money is. He insists that since the President already announced the recoveries to Parliament, the information cannot be kept secret under the guise of an “ongoing investigation”.
“The information sought pertains to public funds already disclosed by the President to Parliament,” he stated, highlighting the high public interest in the matter.
Botchway is now asking the Commission to declare EOCO’s actions unlawful. He wants an order forcing the agency to release the documents within seven days.
He also requested that the Commission punish the agency for intentionally obstructing his access to information.
