The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has denied a media report that over GH¢2.7 million is missing from its bank account.
It would be recalled that online news site, Ghanaweb.com on August 24, 2017 published a news article titled, ‘Scandal Rocks EOCO Over ‘Missing’ GH¢2.7 million.
But EOCO, in a rejoinder issued by its Acting Executive Director, K.K. Amoah, on August 28, said “this allegation is totally false and unfounded.”
Facts
Giving the facts of the case in the statement, the investigative body noted that on February 14, 2012, it (EOCO) commenced investigations into the activities of a company called Asaman Multimedia (AM).
It said in the course of the investigation, EOCO, under Section 24 of Act 804, 2010, applied to an Accra High Court to seize and transfer the funds in the account of AM.
The High Court granted the application and ordered that any amount in that account be transferred into EOCO Exhibit Account with Bank of Ghana (BoG), according to the statement.
“The order was complied with, and Barclays Bank, the bankers of AM, also transferred the money into EOCO Exhibit Account,” it added.
It indicated that “the accounts were two – Ghana Cedi and United States Dollar account. The Cedi account had GH¢646.188.35 therein while the dollar account had $986.024.16.”
The rejoinder further explained that these accounts were consequently lodged into EOCO’s Exhibit Account with Bank of Ghana.
Application For Discharge
However, EOCO indicated that on 27th March, 2013, lawyers for Asaman Multimedia filed an application for discharge at the Commercial Court (High Court) Accra, and that the application was granted by the Court.
Consequently, it said BoG on April 30, 2013 transferred the same amounts of GH¢646,188.35 and $$986.024.16 from the EOCO Exhibit Account to accounts of Asaman Multimedia at the Barclays Bank, adding that “the transfer has not occasioned any loss to Asaman Multimedia nor EOCO.”
Prior Investigation
“This same matter was investigated by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in 2016, and it concluded that Bank of Ghana was carrying out court order of 27th March, 2013 which transferred the GH¢646,188.35 and $986.024.16 to Asaman Multimedia accounts at Barclays Bank,” according to EOCO in the rejoinder.
The investigative body said that “it is therefore never true that $366,985.00 was transferred from AM’s account with Barclays Bank to EOCO Exhibit Account with Bank of Ghana. It was rather $986,024.16.
There is therefore no GH¢2.7 million outstanding in this transaction, EOCO said.
By Melvin Tarlue