Lawyer for Dennis Miracles Aboagye has criticised the bail conditions imposed by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), describing them as excessive and difficult to fulfil.
The former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD) was granted bail, reportedly set at GH¢50 million with three sureties, two of whom are required to justify their sureties with properties.
However, his legal team says the conditions are unrealistic and have made it difficult for their client to secure his release within the required timeframe.
Speaking to journalists at EOCO’s headquarters, lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea expressed concern over the process, arguing that the bail terms amount to punishment rather than ensuring the accused person appears before investigators.
“The bail conditions are cruel and oppressive. Look at this very hour, they are about to exceed the 48 hours as enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.
Mr Atta Akyea questioned how his client could quickly secure three sureties and properties worth GH¢50 million, particularly when he had voluntarily returned to Ghana.
“How is this gentleman going to get three sureties, GH¢50 million as the bail sum, and then have properties worth GH¢50 million? Two of them should post those properties. How are we going to do it?” he asked.
The lawyer also argued that Mr Aboagye’s arrest was unjustified, insisting that his client had cooperated with authorities in the past and was not attempting to evade investigations.
“I do not see why a man who is coming to Ghana should be arrested and kept all this while, because the record shows that they invited him here and he came,” he said.
He added that the development raised concerns about respect for due process and the rule of law.
“I believe democracy and the rule of law have been reversed backwards. A man who is not running away and is decent enough to go to Kotoka International Airport is arrested and detained all this while. I don’t believe that is how we should conduct affairs,” Samuel Atta Akyea stated.
Mr Aboagye was arrested by EOCO in connection with alleged financial and procurement-related irregularities involving about GH¢55 million linked to the IMCCoD.
