New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director at the Office of the Party’s Flagbearer, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has expressed shock after discovering that his name had been placed on an Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) stop list.

Mr Aboagye said he was surprised by the development because, according to him, neither he nor his lawyers had received any formal invitation from EOCO after an earlier engagement with the office.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show on Tuesday, July 21, he said he and his lawyers appeared before EOCO on Tuesday, 28 April, after which they were informed that they would be contacted whenever their presence was required.

"We showed up on Tuesday, 28 April. When we went there, I did not even spend five minutes. My lawyers and I were there, and they told me to go, saying that whenever they needed me, they would call me," he said.

He explained that following the meeting, his lawyers consistently reached out to EOCO to find out when they were expected to return, but they were repeatedly told to wait until they were contacted.

"Since 28 April, my lawyers have constantly reached out to ask when they should expect us to come. They would simply say, 'Don't worry, when we need you, we will call you.' Nobody called me," Mr Aboagye stated.

He maintained that he has always regarded EOCO's invitation as part of a normal investigative process and stressed that the office had done nothing wrong by looking into a petition submitted to it.

According to him, individuals invited by investigative bodies must cooperate because many issues can be resolved through the presentation of documents and evidence.

"EOCO inviting you, in itself, is not a big deal. You need to show up and cooperate with them because some of these issues can easily be dealt with when there are trails and documents to that effect," he added.

Discovery at airport

Mr Aboagye said the issue arose when he travelled to London on 4 July for a programme and returned to Ghana the following Saturday.

He explained that he left his vehicle at the airport because he intended to return shortly and had planned to use it after his arrival.

However, upon reaching immigration at the airport, he said officers informed him that they needed to conduct further checks before telling him that his name was on a stop list.

"I got to immigration, and they said they needed to check something. They asked me to follow them, and I did. They told me, 'Your name is on the stop list,'" he recounted.

Mr Aboagye said he was shocked by the discovery because he believed he had been cooperating with EOCO and had not avoided any engagement with the office.

"If you are looking for me and you cannot find me, that is when you can put me on a stop list. But I was coming to Ghana, so why was my name on the stop list?" he questioned.

"When I got to immigration, I was shocked. I was very worried because I was asking myself, 'What is this? Why am I on a stop list? What have I done?'" he added.

He said he checked his phone for any communication from EOCO and contacted his lawyers to find out whether they had received any invitation on his behalf.

"I called my lawyers to ask them if they had received any invitation from EOCO. They said no. So I asked them, Why then did they put me on a stop list?" he added.

Mr Aboagye said he was subsequently taken to the Immigration Headquarters and later to the EOCO Headquarters on Saturday night, where he remained engaged with officials until Tuesday.

Questions handling of process

Mr Aboagye stressed that there was nothing wrong with serving in public office and said persons who hold public positions should be allowed to account for their stewardship when required.

"Let me put it on record that there is nothing wrong with serving in public office. If you serve and you are done, and you render what is required, what is wrong with that?" he asked.

He reiterated that EOCO had the mandate to investigate petitions brought before it but raised concerns about the manner in which the process was handled.

"EOCO has done nothing wrong if they have received a petition and they are going into it," he said.

However, he said his concern was with how the matter was handled and how he was treated in the process.

"Where I have a problem with EOCO, and they know this, is that I have raised it with them, and I can speak to it. We do not treat citizens like that," Mr Aboagye stated.

Mr. Aboagye was arrested by EOCO officials at the Accra International Airport on July 12 and was later released on July 14 after meeting his GH¢50 million bail conditions.

EOCO has said the arrest forms part of investigations into alleged financial irregularities involving about GH¢55 million during Mr. Aboagye’s tenure as Executive Secretary of the IMCCoD.