The Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has claimed that former Executive Secretary for the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD), Dennis Miracles Aboagye, was interrogated over alleged financial irregularities involving about GH¢5 million, not the GH¢55 million cited by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
According to Mr. Awuku, Miracles’s account of the interrogation indicates that investigators never questioned him about the alleged GH¢55 million misappropriation during the days he spent in EOCO custody.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, July 17, Sammi Awuku questioned the basis of EOCO’s public statement, insisting that the issues raised during the interrogation related to decisions Miracles took while serving at the IMCCoD Secretariat.
“But interestingly, the man was interrogated for hours. He was kept in the cells of a law enforcement agency from Saturday evening until Wednesday, and in the five days that he spent in their hands, they never discussed GH¢55 million with him,” he said.
The Akuapem North MP explained that the questioning centred on administrative decisions, procurement matters and directives Mr. Aboagye allegedly received from his supervising minister while serving as Executive Secretary.
“At every point in time, according to him, the discussion centred on some decisions taken by him when he was in management, instructions he received from his sector minister, and some procurement issues. In total, they were talking about GH¢5 million, not GH¢55 million,” Mr. Awuku stated.
He also criticised the manner of Miracles’s arrest, describing it as unnecessary given that his lawyers had previously engaged EOCO and had informed investigators they were available whenever their client was required.
Mr. Awuku argued that placing Miracles on a stop list after he had already travelled and returned to Ghana did not justify arresting him at the airport.
“A stop list is supposed to prevent you from leaving the jurisdiction because you are under investigation, not when you are returning into the jurisdiction,” he said.
The comments come after EOCO announced that Miracles and former IMCCoD accountant Gerald Appiah were arrested over alleged financial and procurement-related irregularities involving about GH¢55 million.
According to EOCO, the arrests form part of ongoing investigations into suspected misappropriation, misapplication, diversion and theft of public funds at the IMCCoD Secretariat following a petition by the current Executive Secretary and a forensic audit covering the period between August 1, 2022, and February 2, 2025.
