The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is facing the prospect of legal action after lawyers for Hanan Abdul-Wahab accused the anti-graft agency of unlawfully withholding their client’s money, mobile phones and passport despite his release from custody.
In a letter dated July 9, 2026, addressed to the Attorney-General and EOCO’s Executive Director, the law firm Dame & Partners alleged that the agency has continued to infringe on Mr. Abdul-Wahab’s constitutional rights by refusing to release his personal belongings and travel documents.
According to the lawyers, Mr. Abdul-Wahab was arrested on July 4 at the Accra International Airport while preparing to board a flight to the United Kingdom for a scheduled medical appointment. He was subsequently detained at the Bureau of National Intelligence and later at EOCO before being released on the night of July 8.
The legal team said that although their client returned to EOCO on July 9 to retrieve his possessions, only an empty wallet, his wristwatch and boarding pass were handed over. They claim the agency retained two mobile phones, his passport and cash amounting to £5,000, £1,700 and GH¢2,750.
Dame & Partners argued that the seized funds were personal loans obtained solely to finance Mr. Abdul-Wahab’s overseas travel and medical treatment and had no connection to any bank account or assets reportedly under investigation.
The lawyers also accused EOCO of accessing information stored on their client’s mobile phones without first obtaining judicial authorisation, describing the alleged action as an unlawful breach of his constitutional right to privacy.
In addition, the law firm contended that EOCO has continued to hold Mr. Abdul-Wahab’s passport despite what it described as a High Court order directing that the document be released to enable him to travel, subject to its return to the court through the Registrar.
According to the lawyers, the continued retention of the passport, without any further court order authorising its seizure, amounts to a violation of the Constitution.
They have therefore demanded the immediate return of all confiscated items, including the cash, mobile phones and passport, as well as a full disclosure of any data allegedly extracted from the devices while they were in EOCO’s custody.
The lawyers warned that they would initiate legal proceedings if the agency failed to comply with their demands within a reasonable time.
EOCO has not publicly responded to the allegations. The claims contained in the lawyers’ letter have not been independently verified, and the agency’s response will be reported when it becomes available.
