The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has likened the Economic and Organized Crime Office’s (EOCO) attempted arrest of a lawyer inside the Accra High Court to a raid, warning that the independence of lawyers in Ghana is under attack.
In a hard-hitting statement issued on September 24, the GBA said the action by EOCO at the High Court Complex on September 23 was a clear act of intimidation that could cripple the justice delivery system.
The victim of the attempted arrest was Manhyia South MP, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who was at the court to represent a client as a lawyer.
But the Bar said the attempt was not just about one lawyer, but about silencing the entire profession.
“Attempts to circumvent these safeguards create the perception of intimidation and may have a chilling effect on the legal profession as a whole,” the GBA stated.
The Association said videos of the incident showed a second lawyer, Enoch Anhwere Afoakwa, being assaulted by a female EOCO officer – a conduct the Bar says confirms the hostile nature of the operation.
The GBA, in the statement signed by its President Efua Ghartey and Secretary Kwaku Gyau Baffour, argued that when lawyers are not free to defend clients without fear of being arrested in court, democracy itself suffers.
“Lawyers play a critical role in the administration of justice and the protection of the rights of citizens. Any action that appears to interfere with their ability to discharge their professional duties risks undermining public confidence in the justice system and the rule of law,” it said.
The Bar recalled a pattern of attacks, citing the 2025 Wa Conference where President Ghartey warned that “unruly acts” against lawyers may stifle pro bono services.
It also revisited the June 2026 incident where former Bar Vice President Justice Minka Premo and his young associate, a nursing mother, were arrested at the BNI and detained overnight, with the mother separated from her baby.
The GBA has demanded that EOCO and all state agencies respect the independence of the Bar, warning that: “The independence of the legal profession is a cornerstone of every democratic society and must be protected at all times.”