EOCO’s deception in Adu-Boahene’s trial cancerous to nation-building – Lawyer

A barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Lawyer Lawrence Kwesi Botchway Jnr, has described as a complete fabrication the Cybersecurity charges leveled by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) against former Bureau of National Communications Director, Kwabena Adu-Boahene.

In a statement released under the headline “President Mahama Exposes EOCO’s Deception,” the legal practitioner argued that EOCO’s posture in the matter exposes a troubling disregard for fairness and justice.

The lawyer narrated the events surrounding his client’s ordeal, beginning with what may be described as a shabby treatment meted to them on April 30, 2025. He said Adu-Boahene, his wife Angela Adjei Boateng, and an associate, Mildred Donkor, together with their lawyers, were subjected to unusual treatment at the hands of armed officers.

“On the 30th day of April 2025, at 4:30pm, Kwabena Adu-Boahene, his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, Mildred Donkor and their lawyers in ordinary clothes, were ordered by armed men into a car to leave the premises of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to an unknown place,” the statement recounted.

According to Botchway, a scuffle broke out when the lawyers sought an explanation for the detention, but they were eventually taken to the High Court “at that late hour when the Attorney-General and his Deputy were comfortably seated.” He further alleged that the Attorney-General had already filed 11 counts of criminal offences by 12:32 p.m. that day, catching the defence team off guard.

The charges against Adu-Boahene included stealing, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, and obtaining public property by false statements. Citing from the charge sheet, Botchway highlighted the central accusation:

“That you, on or about February 5, 2020, in Accra and within the jurisdiction of this Court, did, under the guise of procuring a cyber defence system for the Republic of Ghana from ISC Holdings Limited, dishonestly appropriate the sum of about Twenty-seven Million and One Hundred Thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢ 27,100,000.00) belonging to the Republic of Ghana with the intention of depriving the Government of Ghana of the said amount.”

The lawyer, however, rejected the narrative advanced by EOCO and the Attorney-General’s department, pointing out that the charges repeatedly hinged on the claim that no cybersecurity defence system was ever delivered. “The Attorney-General’s Hallelujah chorus is that the alleged crimes were ‘under the guise of procuring a cyber defence system for the Republic of Ghana from ISC Holdings Limited,’” he wrote.

Botchway accused EOCO, led by Mr. Raymond Archer, of deceiving the Attorney-General with false reports. He stressed that EOCO claimed to have investigated and discovered that “no cybersecurity system of the description in the January 30, 2020 contract was ever received” by the Bureau of National Communications or its successor agency, the National Signals Bureau. He quoted directly from the prosecution’s fact sheet:

“Further investigations have revealed that no cybersecurity system of the description in the January 30, 2020, contract was ever received by the Bureau of National Communications or by its successor agency the National Signals Bureau or by the Government of Ghana. An inventory confirmation from the National Security Secretariat shows that the equipment was never received into stores as is the practice in the public services.”

Lawyer Botchway asserted that the system was indeed delivered and is currently in use by the state. He noted that President John Dramani Mahama, during his September 10, 2025 Presidential Media Encounter at the Jubilee House, inadvertently confirmed its existence.

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President John Dramani Mahama, blew the cover of Mr. Raymond Archer to the effect that those who foul the media space with inflammatory language can be tracked through their IP Address and prosecuted. That is a direct reference to the functionality of the cybersecurity defence system,” Botchway argued.

He further disclosed that ISC Holdings Limited, the company contracted to supply the system, had confirmed in writing that the equipment was delivered, a claim he said completely undermines EOCO’s position.

Describing the charges as a clear case of “official deception,” the lawyer warned that such conduct was “cancerous to nation-building.” He went as far as invoking scripture, stating: “EOCO is violating the Ninth Commandment: ‘You shall not lay a false charge against your neighbour’ (Exodus 20:16).”

Botchway also criticised the silence of the current National Security leadership, which he said continues to benefit from the system Adu-Boahene procured but has failed to defend the truth. “Fellow Ghanaians, the irony is that the succeeding National Security is silent and giving oxygen to EOCO’s official deception,” he stated.

He ended his statement with gratitude to the President for shedding light on the matter, declaring: “Thank you, Mr. President. The sun does not set in EOCO.”