The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has issued a warning to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and other governmental bodies against the misuse of authority and infringement of fundamental human rights, calling upon them to execute their responsibilities with integrity, impartiality, and adherence to established legal procedures.
This admonition follows the unsuccessful attempt to apprehend the Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, at the Accra High Court.
According to the Association, the attempted apprehension of the MP, who was present at the court in his professional capacity as legal counsel representing a client, has raised considerable apprehension regarding procedural fairness, professional autonomy, and the safeguarding of attorneys’ rights.
In a communiqué released on Friday, September 25, the GBA further articulated concern regarding recorded footage of the incident wherein another legal practitioner, Enoch Anhwere Afoakwa, alleged that he sustained physical harm inflicted by the EOCO officer responsible for the attempted apprehension.
The Association emphasized that although no person stands exempt from legal accountability, investigative measures directed toward members of the legal profession must be executed in compliance with constitutional protections and pertinent legal frameworks.
It cautioned that measures that seem to circumvent these protections might foster an impression of coercion and may discourage attorneys from executing their professional responsibilities.
The GBA additionally emphasized that legal practitioners serve an essential function in facilitating justice administration and defending the rights of the populace, warning that any obstruction of their professional activities could erode confidence in the judicial system and constitutional governance.
The Association made reference to earlier reservations communicated by its President regarding the manner in which attorneys have been treated while executing their professional functions, encompassing circumstances in which legal practitioners were detained or subjected to what the GBA characterized as objectionable conduct.
In light of these circumstances, the GBA urged EOCO and all pertinent governmental bodies to guarantee that their actions, when executing their mandates, adhere to principles of due process, impartiality, and protection of the rights of all parties concerned.
“The rule of law necessitates not merely that justice be administered, but that it be perceived to be administered,” the GBA emphasized, underscoring that the autonomy of the legal profession constitutes a fundamental pillar of democratic governance and warrants safeguarding.
