Grant us full prosecutorial powers – EOCO tells Attorney General

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has applied to the Attorney General to grant the institute prosecutorial powers to haul persons indicted of financial malfeasance before the court.
According to the acting Director in charge Legal and Prosecutions for EOCO, Abu Issah, the AG giving them power will help them deal with persons who abuse the public purse.

“Look at an agency like EOCO, look at our stature in the country, but we have not gotten the fiat.

“Efforts are being made so that when we get the fiat we can prosecute on the authority of the Attorney General. We have discussed the fiat at different forum and I’m sure with time it will be given to us,” he told Accra-based Citi FM at an Anti-Corruption program by APNAC for Members of Parliament.

In February 2018, the Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo also wants the Attorney General to give him powers to prosecute officials indicted in the report.

Domelevo surcharged four public officials for allegedly causing financial loss to the state.

The action was in fulfillment of an order by the Supreme Court that he should immediately begin the process of surcharging any person found to have misappropriated state funds.

He said the Auditor General’s Department has so much power under the law but slept over it.

“…Under the section 29 subsection 2 it says that ‘anyone who does not even meet the 30 days deadline…we should stop his salaries’. It is in the law that once we have raised an observation after 30 days you decide not to respond, you should not be paid and we have to start that now. We have to block peoples salaries. And even after blocking your salaries if you don’t come we will now disallow the expenditure and surcharge you,” Domelevo added.