Sarkodie Baffour Awuah and Partners, the law firm associated with Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, must submit nine years’ worth of audited accounts, tax documents, and bank statements to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) by Friday, November 6.
This request is part of EOCO’s ongoing investigation into Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who is already facing criminal charges related to a debt settlement with the state-owned SIC Life Savings and Loans.
The letter from EOCO is dated Friday, October 30, and it cites Section 19 of the Economic and Organised Crime Office Act, 2010 (Act 804) as the legal basis for requesting these documents.
What EOCO is requesting from the law firm
The office has asked the firm for:
- audited financial statements for every year from 2017 to 2025
- evidence of corporate tax, VAT, levies and withholding tax paid to the Ghana Revenue Authority
- details of all bank accounts the firm runs, with statements covering the same nine years
- its operating permit from the local assembly and proof that it was renewed
- a list of its employees, if it has any
EOCO is investigating a suspected criminal conspiracy, money laundering, tax violations, and the infliction of financial loss on SIC Savings and Loans, along with other issues.
None of the three charges against the MP so far involve tax violations.
The nine-year sentence requested starts well before the current deal in court. Prosecutors claim that SIC Life hired the firm in May 2020, which is three years into the timeframe EOCO is investigating.
Connection of the firm to the MP
Mr. Baffour Awuah is referred to as a senior partner at the firm.
Other sources mention it as his previous firm. In September, the firm stated that EOCO’s invitations from February were sent to him as a senior partner, and that another representative from the firm attended EOCO on three occasions: March 4, March 18, and April 30.