The Member of Parliament for Suame, John Darko, has accused the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) of turning into a political institution following the arrest of Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a senior aide to New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Mr Darko expressed concern over what he described as the increasing influence of politics in the operations of state institutions.
“We need to elevate the kind of politics we are doing in this country. EOCO right now is a political institution. It is politics that is being played there,” he said.
The Suame MP questioned EOCO’s decision to arrest Miracles after he returned to Ghana, arguing that the agency could have invited him for questioning instead.
He noted that Miracles had previously responded to invitations from the office and voluntarily returned to the country, making an arrest unnecessary in his view.
“This gentleman went out of the country, came back on his own volition. And like all reasonable persons in this country have said, you could have easily invited him and if you wanted to charge him, charge him,” Mr Darko stated.
Mr Darko stressed that investigative bodies must follow due process and treat cases involving political figures with fairness to protect public trust in state institutions.
“We need to push these state institutions to do the right thing. Now in this country, it has become fashionable that if you’re an NPP person, you can be arrested and all the members in the NDC will be happy. I’m sure it was reversed under the previous regime. We don’t have to do that,” he added.
Although he criticised EOCO’s approach, the MP acknowledged that public officials accused of wrongdoing must face investigations, regardless of their political background.
He said Ghana’s fight against corruption should remain independent of party interests and focus on accountability.
EOCO has explained that Miracles Aboagye’s arrest forms part of investigations into alleged financial and procurement irregularities involving about GH¢55 million at the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD) Secretariat, where he served as Executive Secretary under the previous administration.
The anti-graft agency said the arrest was necessary to support its investigations and ensure that the former government official made himself available for questioning.
Miracles Aboagye has since been granted bail of GH¢50 million with three sureties as investigations continue.
