The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has frozen the assets of Council of State member and founder of now-defunct First Trust Savings and Loans and Ideal Finance, Nii Kotei Dzani.
His assets include 41 bank accounts of Ideal Finance. His assets including vehicles and landed properties have also been frozen.
Mr Nii Dzani went to the High Court for an order to set aside an invitation extended to him by EOCO on November 8, 2019, as well as an order to restrain EOCO from disrupting his activities without lawful excuse and due process of the law.
But, in its ruling on February 7, 2020, the court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, said the application had no merit.
“The application is hereby dismissed,” she stated.
Mr Dzani had argued that EOCO was essentially harassing him in a way that made ‘nonsense’ of his status as a member of the council of state.
But the court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare Botwe, ruled in favour of EOCO that its dealings with Mr Dzani have been fair and at all times acted within the mandate of its establishing law.
Nii Dzani, after the application had been dismissed, filed a notice of appeal against the decision of the High Court.
The applicant also filed an interlocutory injunction against EOCO, seeking, among other reliefs, an order to stop EOCO from investigating him, pending the final determination of the appeal; restrain EOCO from arresting him and restrain EOCO from harassing him.
According to the judgment of the High Court, the case for the applicant was that in or about August 2019, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) revoked the licence of Ideal Finance and placed it on receivership.
On November 11, 2019, Nii Dzani received a letter from EOCO inviting him to avail himself on November 13, 2019 for questioning in relation to alleged tax evasion and money laundering, but he asked his lawyers to write to the anti-graft agency requesting a change of date, as he was attending an official assignment in his capacity as a member of the Council of State.
The applicant stated that on November 14, 2019, in the company of his lawyer, he went to the EOCO office, where he had to wait for about three-and-a-half hours before he was attended to.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
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