Leave ‘Sakawa Boys’, Chase Heads of Collapsed Banks

NPP Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alex Afenyo-Markin, has accused the Economic and Organised Crime Office [EOCO] of targeting Internet fraudsters known in local terms as ‘Sakawa boys’ rather than the corrupt banking officials whose actions led to the collapse of the local banks.

According to Mr. Afenyo-Markin, he has been in court representing people whose accounts have been wrongly frozen by EOCO and the Financial Intelligence Center [FIC], saying there are more pressing issues within the financial sector that require the attention of EOCO rather than witch-hunting of supposed internet fraudsters.

Speaking on Citi TV, he questioned EOCO’s seeming protection of individuals whose actions and inaction cost the state huge sums of money.

“I have been at the courts on numerous occasions, challenging EOCO and FIC, why they will be freezing the accounts of people with Gh¢5,000 and Gh¢2,000 who are on the computer doing ‘pen pal’ forgetting that there are real risk takers, that there are real issues in the financial sector that requires their attention. They failed.”

“If you go to the FIC today, and ask for their freezing data, I can assure you because I have always been in court that 99% accounts frozen are against people I will call Sakawa boys. EOCO is doing the same thing with Sakawa boys, is it that they were brought into being to chase Sakawa boys? The real offenders are being allowed, and today we are going through this” the MP said angrily.

The MP for Effutu further called on the leadership of the Bank of Ghana to be consistent in their supervisory efforts to ensure that more banks do not collapse.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin also called on the leadership of the newly formed Consolidated Bank to pay the compensation and salary arrears of affected workers of the seven defunct banks.