Accra, January 16, 2018//-A private legal practitioner, John Darko has urged deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Georgina Opoku Amankwah, to sue the commission and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for keeping her out of office ‘illegally’.
Madam Opoku Amankwah was directed by EOCO to proceed on leave in July 2017, to enable investigations into GHc480,000 believed to have gone missing from the EC’s Senior Staff Endowment Fund.
After seven months of what she perceived to be undue delay just to frustrate and get her removed from office, the deputy chair defied the order and resumed work on Monday.
She however had a violent encounter with EOCO officials who stormed her office at the Electoral Commission to force her out, but she resisted.
Although there are no strict measures as to how long such investigations should be conducted, lawyer John Darko says it should be done within a “certain reasonable period”.
Georgina Opoku Amankwah had shelved a threat she issued in October last year to sue the EOCO for the delay in investigating the case.
Lawyer Darko is however urging her to go ahead and pursue the case at court especially now that the EOCO has given her 14 more days to stay at home for investigations to continue.
“She should be able to sue them to come and tell her why she cannot be able to return to work… and find out why the investigation has not been concluded still,” Mr. Darko counselled.
Amadu Sulley at Post
Even though Madam Opoku Amankwah has been at the centre of the investigations, the case which broke in July 2017 had the other deputy at EC Amadu Sulley, in charge of Operations, named.
However, checks by TV3 revealed that Amadu Sulley has not been served with any letter to proceed on leave and he is currently at post.
Crass Lawlessness
Meanwhile, Ranking Member of Communications Committee of Parliament and MP for Sagnarigu, A.B.A Fuseini has described EOCO’s action at the EC as “crass lawlessness”.
He told TV3 the executive arm of government ought to step in to bring EOCO’s director ACP K.K. Amoah who led the invasion at EC to order.
Mr. Fuseini has therefore charged the office of the president to initiate action against EOCO otherwise “we will have the impression that the presidency might have sanctioned what they are doing”.
He said the Minority in Parliament believes what is happening at EC is an attempt to “hound” Madam Amankwa out of office.
3news.com
