EOCO has excessively been personalized– Osahene Afenyo-Markin

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has mounted a strong criticism of the Executive Director of Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Raymond Archer, accusing him of lacking the professionalism required to head a sensitive state investigative institution.

Speaking on Newsfile, the Effutu MP argued that EOCO under Mr. Archer had become excessively personalised, emotionally driven and inconsistent with the calm institutional culture expected of professional investigative bodies.

According to Mr. Afenyo-Markin, Mr. Archer’s conduct contrasted sharply with the operational style of other state security and investigative agencies such as the DNI and the CID.

“Clearly, I’ve learned one lesson as a politician, that there are some institutions that require pure professionalism,” he stated, adding that EOCO’s operations appeared to revolve too heavily around the personality of its Executive Director.

He said Mr. Archer appeared emotionally invested in investigations rather than allowing institutional systems and trained officers to work independently.

“You meet Kipu, the Director-General of DNI, and he is always relaxed. You go to CID headquarters and see professionals calmly doing their work. But Raymond Archer has made EOCO a one-man institution,” the Minority Leader asserted.

The Minority Leader, who is also a legal practitioner, claimed that some EOCO officers themselves were frustrated with the management style of the EOCO boss.

He further advised Mr. Archer to focus on strengthening institutional systems and officer training instead of “directing arrests” and becoming personally associated with operations.

“If Raymond really wants to leave a legacy, he should invest in training officers and allow systems to work, not to be getting so personal,” he stressed.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin also criticised EOCO’s handling of investigations involving some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), particularly the treatment of Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi.

According to him, EOCO employed what he described as “Rambo-style” tactics in arresting the NPP chairman after police had already granted him bail.

He alleged that EOCO attempted to arrest Wontumi at the premises of the Police Headquarters but was resisted by police officers who insisted proper procedures should be followed.

“When Wontumi got out of the Police Headquarters, they accosted him and arrested him in a Rambo style, which was very wrong,” he alleged.

The Minority Leader defended the protest staged by NPP Members of Parliament and party supporters at EOCO headquarters, insisting it was a lawful civil protest intended to register displeasure over what they considered unfair treatment.

“We respect state institutions and believe in accountability, but when things are going wrong, it is our responsibility to protest,” he said.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin also questioned EOCO’s bail conditions in high-profile investigations, arguing that the practice of pegging bail amounts to the sums under investigation lacked legal basis.

“It is his argument that because the investigation involves fifty million, then bail should be fifty million. Determining bail is not founded on any law,” he argued.

He further alleged that individuals who offered properties as sureties for suspects were later subjected to investigations and harassment by EOCO officials regarding the origins of their assets.

The Minority Leader maintained that several former government officials and political figures being investigated were not flight risks and could simply be invited to cooperate with investigators without dramatic arrests.

“You pick a man from his house, a man in his 70s, somebody who has served this country. If you invite him, he will come,” he said.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin concluded by urging the EOCO boss to separate investigative work from what he described as the aggressive posture associated with media exposés.

“You are not in investigative journalism anymore. You are dealing with matters that will go to court and require evidence and professionalism,” he cautioned.

 

 

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