The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, is dissatisfied with the Economic and Organized Crime Office’s (EOCO) performance in the area of asset recovery and recovery of proceeds of crime.

Mr. Dame said perpetrators of crime should not be allowed to enjoy their proceeds, and that although he believes EOCO has the capacity to go after perpetrators of crime and recover from them such proceeds of their criminal enterprise, the office’s records are unimpressive.

Speaking during a working visit to EOCO on Tuesday, Mr. Dame said EOCO must do far more than it has done in the past.

“I have not been exactly impressed about the quantum of proceeds of crime that EOCO has been able to recover in recent years. I think this office has a greater capacity to recover far more substantial proceeds of crime and that is what I will urge you to work on,” he said.

The Economic and Organized Crime Office is a specialized agency to monitor and investigate economic and organized crime, and on the authority of the Attorney-General prosecute these offences to recover the proceeds of crime and provide for related matters.

The scope of its work covers issues of financial or economic loss to the Republic or any State entity or institution in which the State has financial interest, money laundering, human trafficking, prohibited cyber activity, tax fraud, and other serious offences.

COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, a former Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), was recently appointed as the Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).

Her appointment took effect on January 5, 2022.

COP Addo-Danquah replaced Steve Raymond Dapaa-Addo, who was appointed as Director-General of EOCO on July 9, 2021.