Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah
The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has questioned the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, saying there is no indication that he had obstructed investigations or failed to cooperate with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
EOCO arrested Mr Aboagye over the weekend upon his arrival at Kotoka International Airport in Accra from a trip abroad. He has since been granted bail but remains in detention until he is able to post the bail.
The arrest has generated reactions from political actors, civil society organisations and members of the public.
On Monday, July 13, EOCO issued a statement explaining the rational for the arrest.
Responding to the statement, Mr Braimah said the reasons provided did not justify the manner in which the arrest was carried out.
“While I fully support anti-corruption actions by state law enforcement bodies, I want such actions to be fair and decorous. Anti-corruption law enforcement actions that have a semblance of show of force or abuse of power are non-progressive,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
He added:
“Now, the EOCO statement doesn’t say EOCO had been searching for Miracles without finding him. It doesn’t say Miracles had been declared wanted. It doesn’t say Miracles had gone into hiding. It doesn’t say Miracles had flouted any court order not to travel out of the country. It doesn’t say Miracles had refused to attend EOCO invitations. It doesn’t say the investigations had reached a stage where Miracles needed to be stopped and arrested immediately wherever he was found.”
Mr Braimah also questioned EOCO’s decision to arrest Mr Aboagye immediately upon his arrival in the country.
“If he needed to be arrested immediately, why couldn’t EOCO wait to do so the next day?” he asked.
He reiterated his support for efforts to investigate, prosecute and recover misappropriated state funds but said such processes should be conducted fairly and in a manner that does not give rise to allegations of excessive use of power or unfair treatment.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
