Private legal practitioner and spokesperson for the Movement for Change, Andrew Appiah-Danquah, wants Ghana to adopt tougher laws on unexplained wealth and lifestyle audits to strengthen the fight against economic crime.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, August 23, he argued that Ghana’s current legal regime is fragmented and unable to deal decisively with illicit wealth accumulation.
“So EOCO, FIC, I think they need to look seriously at lifestyle audit issues. I think in the UK they have ‘Unexplained Wealth Order.’ I don’t think we have anything of that nature here. So we also need to find a way of putting all these laws into one full law to make it easier,” he explained.
His comments come in the wake of EOCO’s probe into dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale’s purchase of a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a car authorities suspect is linked to the proceeds of a US$4 million crime. The scam was orchestrated by Ghanaian national Nana Kwabena Amuah, who is currently serving a prison term in the United States.
The luxury vehicle was seized by EOCO in a joint operation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). According to an EOCO statement, Shatta Wale was questioned for nearly four hours but failed to identify the individual who sold him the car, only saying that he bought it from “the street.”
Investigators also noted that the artiste could not produce any ownership documents apart from a customs declaration form bearing Amuah’s name. He was later released on revised bail conditions after days of legal processes and public scrutiny.
Appiah-Danquah, while commending EOCO for broadening its scope beyond political cases, urged the agency to intensify enforcement of anti-money laundering laws and clamp down on unexplained wealth.
“I will encourage EOCO, I think they are doing a great job. In fact, EOCO for a long time has been weaponised as a political tool going after politicians. But EOCO’s job is not just to deal with politicians because economic crime isn’t just about politicians,” he said.
“I think it is high time they treat the Anti-Money Laundering Act seriously and they treat all the various bits of laws that deal with unexplained wealth seriously,” he added.
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