By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, Oct. 03, GNA – Parliament has expressed concern about the continued detention of Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
A statement issued on Saturday and signed by Mr David Sebastian Damoah, the Director of Media Relations, Parliament, said it learnt with concern that the MP remained in EOCO custody after voluntarily presenting himself to the Office, following reports that the High Court had issued a warrant for his arrest.
It said, “Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament considers the circumstances surrounding the detention, a matter of serious concern to Parliament,” raising questions about the rights of the MP, the privileges and independence of Parliament, and the proper exercise of investigative powers.
The statement however affirmed that although MPs were not above the law, especially where a Member was reasonably suspected of having committed an offence, the law must take its course.
At the same time, it noted that MPs did not act merely in their personal capacities and that the law recognised certain safeguards governing interactions between Members and other organs of the State, intended not to shield them from accountability, but to protect the independence of Parliament and the mandate of the people they represented.
The statement said “the Speaker has been informed that the High Court directed EOCO to enforce the warrant against the Member, but he has not yet seen the terms of that directive and therefore does not purport to interpret it.
“However, once the Member voluntarily presented himself to EOCO and submitted to its processes, any decision to continue holding him in custody ought to have a clear and demonstrable basis in law and necessity,” it added.
The statement said the House was particularly concerned about the necessity and proportionality of detaining a Member who voluntarily reported to EOCO and as Parliament understood it, cooperated with the process.
It stressed that the power to arrest or detain was a serious coercive power of the State which must always be exercised lawfully, reasonably and with due regard to the Constitutional rights and dignity of every person.
“Where the purpose of securing a person’s attendance has already been achieved through voluntary appearance, continued detention should not become routine or punitive,” the statement said, adding that if the warrant required the member to be brought before the High Court, every reasonable effort should have been made to place him before the Court at the earliest lawful opportunity.
The statement noted that it was not the first time questions had arisen concerning the arrest, detention or prosecution of sitting MPs, recalling previous experiences since the advent of the Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
It said these episodes demonstrated the need for greater clarity concerning procedures applicable when investigative or prosecutorial authorities seek to arrest, detain or prosecute a sitting Member of Parliament.
The statement said, “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.”
It called on all state institutions and public officials to exercise coercive powers with restraint, fairness and full respect for constitutional rights, reiterating that a political opponent was not a political enemy, warning that past excesses could not justify same in the present time.
“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. This cycle must end,” the statement said.
It therefore advised that all matters concerning Nana Agyei Baffour 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.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
03 Oct. 2026
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Email: [email protected]