EOCO board clears senior officials of abuse of power in Sesi-Edem probe

The governing board of the Economic and Organised Crime Office has rejected claims that its top officials abused their positions in the handling of the Sesi-Edem matter, though it stopped short of endorsing the legality of the investigation itself.

The complaint had been brought by lawyers for Sesi-Edem Company Limited, a firm linked to Council of State member Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple. In a petition dated 9 April 2026, the company’s legal team, Knightscild Chambers, accused EOCO’s Acting Executive Director Raymond Archer and his deputy of acting unlawfully, abusing their authority and disregarding court orders.

But in a response dated 22 April, the board said its Legal Sub-committee had reviewed the allegations together with internal reports and relevant court decisions, and found no basis for claims of personal misconduct against the two officials.

That finding, however, did not amount to a full endorsement of everything done in the case.

The board said the question of whether the investigation into Sesi-Edem was itself lawful is already before the High Court in a human rights action and, for that reason, it would not comment on the substance of that issue. It took the same position on allegations that EOCO had defied court orders, noting that the matter is also tied to proceedings currently under appeal, with a stay of execution in place.

Even while declining to pronounce on those questions, the board said it had directed EOCO management to strictly comply with the terms of the interim injunction already issued by the High Court.

Its overall position was that EOCO remains bound by the EOCO Act and the 1992 Constitution, and that the deeper dispute over the agency’s conduct in the Sesi-Edem matter will ultimately be settled by the courts.