Lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea of Zoe, Akyea & Co., the legal representative of Kwabena Adu-Boahene, the former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), and his wife, has voiced his frustration over his client’s detention by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

Speaking on JoyNews on March 25, 2025, Atta Akyea expressed his disappointment, stating that Raymond Archer, the Deputy Executive Director of EOCO, refused to grant him an audience despite waiting for several hours at his reception.

He explained that his attempt to see Archer was to inquire about his client’s bail conditions, as he had been informed that Archer was overseeing the entire investigation.

He also noted that he was not given the opportunity to have a confidential discussion with his client before their interrogation.

“I wanted to approach Raymond Archer because I was told that he was in charge of the entire investigation. The Deputy Executive Director of EOCO. I waited for over two hours at his reception, and he didn’t see me,” he fumed.

Atta Akyea, a former lawmaker for Akim Abuakwa South, questioned the rationale behind the government’s "resetting" agenda, wondering if it applied to the Constitution.

He stated that, in the history of the country’s criminal jurisprudence, this case marked the first instance where a lawyer was denied the opportunity to engage with their client before interrogation.

He further indicated that his clients, Adu-Boahene, and his wife, Angela Agyei-Boateng, were still in custody, exceeding the legally mandated 48-hour detention limit.

“But the point of the matter is, is this a reset of the Constitution? For the first time in the annals of our criminal jurisprudence, a lawyer cannot have a confidential engagement with their clients before interrogation?. What is the basis of the right to counsel as enshrined in the Constitution? I do not understand. As we speak, they have exceeded the 48-hour limit, and my clients are still behind bars.”

MAG/MA

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