The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has alleged that the confrontation involving an Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) official at the Accra High Court was part of an attempt by the government to divert public attention from the ongoing cocaine bust saga.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, 24 September, Baffour Awuah described the development as a “calculated attempt by the government to shift attention” from what he described as a major cocaine scandal.
“All that they sought to do was to divert attention from the cocaine matter,” he alleged.
According to him, the incident at the High Court and the subsequent attempted arrest had shifted public attention away from the cocaine case.
“You see, nobody is discussing it. You see, it is not the subject of discussion. It is not what is trending. It is what happened that is trending,” he said.
Baffour Awuah also cited reported drug-related arrests in Australia and France, arguing that those developments should be receiving public attention.
“Because the cocaine matter, it’s a big scandal. You have somebody being arrested in Australia for drugs. You have somebody being arrested in France for drugs,” he said.
His comments followed a confrontation at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, 23 September, when EOCO officials attempted to take him into custody after he had represented Salomey Baffoe Awiti in court.
EOCO has confirmed that its officers attempted to arrest Baffour Awuah, saying the action formed part of an ongoing investigation and followed two invitations issued to him in February, which the agency said he did not honour.
Lawyers for Baffour Awuah have disputed EOCO’s account, saying the February correspondence was addressed to him in his capacity as Senior Partner of Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners and concerned an investigation involving one of the firm’s clients.
Baffour Awuah’s allegation that the confrontation was intended to divert attention from the cocaine case has not been independently established.
