IMCCoD accountant Gerald Appiah has been held by EOCO for over 12 days, says NPP’s Security Secretary | Discuss Ghana

Adding another layer of high tension to an already explosive political situation, Kwesi Botchway Jnr, the Secretary of the NPP’s Security and Defence Committee, has revealed that Gerald Appiah—the former accountant of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD)—has been kept in EOCO's custody for over 12 days. The revelation comes directly on the heels of the high-profile arrest and subsequent release on a GH¢50 million bail of former IMCCoD Executive Secretary Dennis Miracles Aboagye. According to Botchway Jnr, while the media has focused heavily on the drama surrounding Aboagye, the state has quietly kept his co-accused accountant locked up behind closed doors for nearly two weeks.

Inside the dual-arrest pressure cooker

The ongoing GH¢55 million anti-graft probe has sparked a massive battle of words between the NPP minority and the ruling NDC administration:

The Long Detention: Botchway Jnr pointed out the heavy disparity in how the two suspects are being handled. While Miracles Aboagye’s high-profile legal team and massive street protests secured his rapid release on bail, the former accountant has faced a much longer, quieter period of detention at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

The "Voluntary" Refund Dispute: EOCO recently released a public statement claiming that Gerald Appiah has voluntarily started refunding money linked to the alleged offenses. However, NPP figures have pushed back against the way this is being framed. Akuapem North MP Sammi Awuku clarified that Appiah’s refunds actually relate to a separate, minor GH¢540,000 Auditor-General infraction that he was surcharged for, rather than the massive GH¢55 million figure EOCO is investigating.

Accusations of Selective Injustice: The NPP's Security and Defence Committee has used Appiah's 12-day detention to accuse the state of abusing its power and violating the basic constitutional rights of public servants, framing the entire operation as a politically motivated witch-hunt.