Private legal practitioner Kofi Bekai has argued that the recent spate of bail conditions granted to persons of interest who are under investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) are too harsh.
Focusing on the latest Ghc10 million bail granted to musician Shatta Wale in the ongoing alleged tax evasion investigation, he stated it is too harsh.
Speaking in an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5fm, he said it appears some of these bail conditions are being used to punish persons suspected to be politically exposed.
The lawyer opined that bail conditions by EOCO and other allied bodies must be fair and objective without any form of influence aimed at targeting political personalities.
“These recent bail conditions are too harsh. Sometimes if you are politically exposed and they want to keep you in custody or punish you, they tend to introduce these harsh bail conditions. But they should be fair and objective to everybody. Persons being investigated should not struggle or be made to suffer because of harsh bail conditions,” he explained.
He added, “what is most important is that when you arrest the person, arraign him in court and allow the court process to determine his guilt or otherwise. You don’t have to as an institution use the bail condition to punish any suspect under investigation. When you do that, people will have the perception that you’re engaging in a show of power.”
Meanwhile, he has noted that EOCO does not necessarily have to demand answers from Shatta Wale about where he purchased his vehicle, which has become the subject of investigation.
He said EOCO can equally go ahead and seek answers from various authorities including the DVLA, the port, and other agencies on the previous ownership of the vehicle.
“EOCO has the powers like the police to investigate; you have arrested Shatta Wale over a vehicle, you don’t even need to ask Shatta Wale the source of the vehicle. The car has details including the number, so go to the DVLA and conduct the investigation. If there is no number, you can go further and conduct further investigation and determine who shipped the vehicle,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
