SIC file was surrendered to client, EOCO has no reason to search Manhyia South MP’s firm – Atta Akyea

Samuel Atta Akyea, lawyer for Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has questioned the basis for the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) searching his client’s law firm in connection with the SIC Life matter. According to him, the specific file EOCO is seeking was surrendered to SIC Life, the client involved in the transaction. Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, he said there should therefore be no reason for investigators to expect the file to still be at Mr Baffour Awuah’s law firm.

“EOCO is looking for an SIC file, but my client told them point-blank that the file was surrendered to SIC, the client,” Mr Atta Akyea said. He explained that the law firm holds confidential documents belonging to several clients, raising concerns about the potential exposure of unrelated information during the search. He added that accessing files unrelated to the investigation could expose EOCO to legal consequences.

“Certainly, because these are confidential files, if you want to know. And if the order for the search is not relative to the case we are investigating, we fall foul of the law,” he said when asked whether EOCO could be breaching some laws by tampering with confidential documents belonging to other clients. “I don’t know why they so want to go to the law firm.

You should bear in mind that the law firm is a holy chamber of confidentiality, where the problems of others are contained in files. So to search a law firm relative to the matters of other people could be very funny,” he added. He further questioned the basis of the investigation, arguing that Mr Baffour Awuah had acted on his client’s instructions in relation to the SIC Life matter.

According to him, a settlement that may have been unfavourable does not, by itself, amount to criminal conduct. “How does a bad settlement translate into criminality?” he asked. The search of the law firm was ongoing when Mr Atta Akyea spoke, with EOCO expected to subsequently conduct a search at Mr Baffour Awuah’s residence.

Mr Baffour Awuah is under investigation by EOCO over alleged unauthorised financial transactions at SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited. Lawyer for Manhyia South Member of Parliament (MP) Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has questioned the basis of the Economic and Organised Crime Office’s (EOCO) ongoing search of his client’s former law firm. According to Samuel Atta Akyea, the search of the law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, had not been completed as of Thursday, October 1, with a second search expected to be conducted at the MP’s residence.