GHANA · CORRUPTION INQUIRY
Key Facts
- —What happened Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office questioned opposition lawmaker John Darko on Tuesday, 13 October, and released him on enquiry bail.
- —The case An alleged criminal conspiracy at SIC Savings and Loans, a lender owned by a state-linked insurer, with the estimated loss now at GH¢27 million (about US$2.4 million).
- —Who he is Darko represents Suame, in the city of Kumasi, for the New Patriotic Party and is legal counsel to the opposition caucus in Parliament.
- —Linked charges Fellow opposition lawmaker Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah faces three counts over a GH¢9.85 million (about US$860,000) loss to the same lender and denies them.
- —Status Darko has not been charged, and no one has been found guilty of anything in the case.
- —Still open What role investigators think Darko played, and why the estimated loss is now almost three times the figure in the charge sheet.
Ghana’s main anti-fraud agency questioned an opposition lawmaker on Tuesday over an alleged conspiracy that cost a state-linked lender an estimated GH¢27 million (about US$2.4 million). The case widens a probe that has already led to criminal charges against another opposition lawmaker from the same city.
Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) questioned John Darko, the member of Parliament for Suame in Kumasi, on Tuesday, 13 October. The agency then granted him enquiry bail, a release without charge that keeps a person available to investigators.
The inquiry concerns an alleged criminal conspiracy at SIC Savings and Loans Company Limited, a lender owned by a state-linked insurer. EOCO now puts the estimated loss at about GH¢27 million (about US$2.4 million), converted at Tuesday’s closing rate of 11.4167 cedis per US dollar.
For foreign investors, the case is a test of whether Ghana’s anti-graft drive can stay clear of party politics. Darko belongs to the New Patriotic Party, which lost power in January 2025, and he has complained that its members are being arrested for political reasons.
What EOCO Said on Tuesday
In a statement dated 13 October, EOCO said Darko honoured its invitation and reported to the office at “exactly 12:00 noon today.” It described him as “respectful, cooperative and fully responsive throughout the investigative process.”
The office said it granted bail “having regard to the circumstances of the case, the applicable law” and Darko’s level of cooperation. It added that Amma Frimpomaa Dwumah, the former managing director of SIC Life Savings and Loans, had also honoured an invitation and was cooperating.
EOCO stressed that the investigation was “progressing steadily according to its case theory.” It also said that “no conclusion has been reached regarding the culpability or otherwise of any person connected to the matter.”
Who the Players Are
EOCO is a state agency created by a 2010 law to investigate economic and organised crime and to recover the proceeds of crime. It can also prosecute such offences on the authority of the Attorney-General, the government’s chief lawyer.
The New Patriotic Party is Ghana’s main centre-right party, which governed from 2017 until January 2025 and now forms the opposition minority in Parliament. Its candidate for the next presidential election is former Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.
The country is now run by President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress, a centre-left party that won the December 2024 elections. Darko, a lawyer, serves as legal counsel to the opposition caucus in Parliament.
SIC Life Savings and Loans was licensed by the Bank of Ghana as a subsidiary of SIC Life Company Limited, a life insurer. SIC Life grew out of the State Insurance Company and appears on the books of the State Interests and Governance Authority, which oversees firms in which the state holds a stake.
Darko has been an outspoken critic of the agency now questioning him. In July he called EOCO “a political institution” after it arrested Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a senior aide to Bawumia, in a separate case.
How the SIC Case Began
Darko’s questioning follows charges against Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the opposition lawmaker for Manhyia South, also in Kumasi. He surrendered to EOCO on Thursday, 1 October, a day after the High Court issued a warrant for his arrest.
The Attorney-General’s office charged him on Saturday, 3 October, with conspiracy, intentionally causing financial loss to a public body and money laundering. The charge sheet puts that loss at GH¢9.85 million (about US$860,000), and he has pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
Prosecutors allege that in July 2024 SIC Life agreed to accept only GH¢5 million (about US$440,000) to settle a court-ordered debt of GH¢14.85 million (about US$1.3 million) owed by another lender. They also allege that his firm was to receive GH¢2.2 million (about US$190,000) in fees and that he later paid GH¢1 million (about US$88,000) by cheque to the lender’s then managing director.
His lawyers say the transactions arose from legal work done by his former law firm, and none of the allegations has been tested at trial. An Accra High Court granted him bail of GH¢10 million (about US$880,000) with two sureties, both fellow lawmakers.
What It Means for US Readers
Ghana is one of the main US partners in West Africa and a leading exporter of gold and cocoa. Its dollar bonds, held by international investors including US funds, were restructured in 2024 after the country stopped paying most of its foreign debt in December 2022.
For those investors, the way Ghana handles graft cases matters more than the sums involved, which are small by national standards. A process seen as fair supports the country’s standing with lenders, while one seen as partisan adds political risk.
For travellers, the case does not change any safety or entry advice for Ghana. Opposition lawmakers have shown support for their colleagues at EOCO’s offices, but the cases have so far played out in offices and courtrooms.
What Is Not Known
EOCO has not said what Darko is suspected of, or whether investigators see him as a suspect or a witness. He told JoyNews on 3 October that he had been “told that I’m also involved” but did not know why.
EOCO did not say whether its GH¢27 million (about US$2.4 million) estimate covers the same transactions as the charge against Baffour Awuah. It also gave no breakdown of the revised figure.
The conditions of Darko’s enquiry bail have not been published. It is also not known whether EOCO regards Amma Frimpomaa Dwumah as a suspect or a witness.
What Comes Next
In the Baffour Awuah case, the court ordered prosecutors to file their disclosures by Thursday, 22 October. A case management conference is set for Monday, 2 November.
EOCO said its investigation remains active, so more people may be invited for questioning. Darko said earlier this month that once he was called, he would “go and tell them what I know.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is John Darko?
John Darko is the member of Parliament for Suame, a constituency in Kumasi, for the opposition New Patriotic Party. He is a lawyer and serves as legal counsel to the opposition caucus in Parliament.
What is EOCO?
The Economic and Organised Crime Office is a Ghanaian state agency created by a 2010 law to investigate economic and organised crime. It can prosecute on the authority of the Attorney-General and works to recover the proceeds of crime.
Has John Darko been charged?
He has not been charged with any offence. EOCO questioned him on 13 October and released him on enquiry bail, saying no conclusion had been reached on anyone’s culpability.
How much money is involved?
EOCO estimates the loss to SIC Savings and Loans at about GH¢27 million (about US$2.4 million). A separate charge sheet against lawmaker Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah cites a loss of GH¢9.85 million (about US$860,000).
What is SIC Savings and Loans?
It is a deposit-taking lender licensed by the Bank of Ghana as a subsidiary of SIC Life Company Limited. SIC Life is a life insurer that grew out of the State Insurance Company and is listed by Ghana’s State Interests and Governance Authority.
Sources: EOCO, news release on John Darko, 13 October 2026; EOCO, news release on Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, 2 October 2026; EOCO, About EOCO; State Interests and Governance Authority, SIC Life Company Limited; Citi Newsroom, 13 October 2026; MyJoyOnline, charge sheet, 5 October 2026; Ghana News Agency, 3 October 2026; MyJoyOnline, John Darko interview, 3 October 2026; Citi Newsroom, 18 July 2026; YEN.com.gh, 5 October 2026; Ghanaian Times; Graphic Online, SIC Life Savings and Loans launch (all accessed 14 October 2026). Conversions at 11.4167 cedis per US dollar, the close of Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief