Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, Raymond Archer
The Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Raymond Archer and Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai appear to be singing different tunes regarding the re-arrest and detention of former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni and the grant of access to their lawyers while in the custody of EOCO.
Raymond Archer has confirmed that lawyers from Dame & Partners, solicitors for Mr. Abdul-Wahab and his wife were indeed at the offices of EOCO from the time the couple were arrested following a decision by the Attorney General to drop all charges against them.
He has also admitted that he was not able to attend to the lawyers on all the two days their clients were in custody because he was busy attending to the interrogation of other suspects in different investigations, including the Kofi Jumah, PDS and COCOBOD cases.
This admission sharply contradicts claims by Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, that contrary to the allegation by the former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the lawyers for Hanan and his wife were not denied access to their clients during the period of their arrest and detention by EOCO, as they failed to show up at EOCO to attend to their client but rather resorted to media interviews.
Speaking during an interview on JoyNews, Mr. Archer told the host, Samson Anyenini that lawyers from Dame & Partners were indeed at the offices of EOCO from the time the couple were re-arrested.
He, however, indicated that he could not attend to them because he was engaged with interrogation of other suspects.
Mr. Archer said that he personally undertakes all the interrogations and, therefore, could not have time to attend to Hanan, stressing that he left the office at 1 a.m. on the first day of Hanan’s detention.
He further claimed that if the lawyers had had time, he would have attended to them on the first day.
It is not clear whether he wanted the lawyers to wait at EOCO until after 1 a.m. on the first day before finding time to attend to them.
Narrating the sequence of events, Raymond Archer said Hanan immediately became sick after being fed with meat pie and a malt drink while in custody of EOCO. He was therefore taken to the hospital and was returned later.
He said when Hanan returned from the hospital, they (EOCO officers with Raymond) were in the middle of interrogation and could therefore not attend to him.
He further indicated that if the lawyers of Hanan had been around by the time he finished work, he would have attended to them.
Touching on the second day, Mr. Archer said Hanan’s lawyers came to EOCO and asked to see him because he is the one who personally undertakes all interrogations.
He said he was again engaged in other interrogations, so he could not attend to them because he had to attend to Minkah Premo first.
The EOCO boss therefore wondered whether the lawyers from Dame & Partners wanted him to jump the process for Minkah Premo and attend to them.
He said the lawyers left later in the day after waiting until about 5 p.m., adding that when he finished with Minkah Premo, he asked to see the lawyers but was told they had left.
He said he decided to call them back, but when the lawyers were not coming back, he granted Hanan and his wife bail around 7 p.m.
“We could have held them for 48 hours. We were rather magnanimous in staying until late in the night and ensuring that these people would go home. The only problem I have is that when they came, they wanted everything to stop and for everybody to listen to Hanan because there is a red carpet that should be rolled for the former Attorney General. That kind of mindset I will not tolerate,” he stated.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak