The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has recovered GH¢99,165,369.29 being proceeds of crime between 2014 and March 2019.
Commissioner of Police (COP) Frank Adu-Poku (Rtd.), the Executive Director of EOCO, announced this at the organization’s maiden national stakeholders’ forum in Accra,
Mr. Adu-Poku said those were resources which otherwise would have been dissipated and lost to the State.
The forum formed part of EOCO’s efforts to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of its operations and to provide the opportunity for constructive review and evaluation of the institution since its inception.
The forum, under the theme, “Combating Organised Crime in Ghana: A shared Responsibility†was also to interact with stakeholders and share information on cases investigated, prosecutions and convictions obtained as well as recoveries and confiscations made.
It was sponsored by the EU-funded Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP), in partnership with the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
He said a majority of the cases were centred on prohibited cyber activity including romance scams, where many of the youth engaged their foreign victims online and succeed in ripping them off of huge sums of money, usually in the foreign currencies.
COP Adu-Poku said EOCO has launched a client service charter to further improve the quality of service provided to its clients.
The ARAP Ghana Team Leader, Ms Ana Sanchez, commended EOCO for taking a progressive step to embark on a process of engagement with the citizens without promptings or pressure from any source.
She said the mandate of EOCO as stipulated in the EOCO Act, 2010 (Act 804) is broad and covers both remedial and preventive aspects of crimes including corruption.
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