The High Court has restrained the Economic and Organised Crime Office from maintaining a “wanted” declaration against Dr Kwamigah Tanko Atokple, a member of the Council of State representing the Volta Region, and other directors of Sesi-Edem Company Limited in a dispute over a gold transaction.
The court issued an interim injunction barring EOCO, its officers and agents from describing the company’s directors as wanted persons. It also ordered the agency to stop inviting, arresting, detaining or charging them, and to halt any investigation linked to the matter until a final decision is made.
The ruling follows a petition filed in November 2025 by JG Resources Ltd, which alleged that only part of the gold it had agreed to buy from Sesi-Edem had been delivered.
Lawyers for the company say the petition failed to state that the contract deadline for delivery is June 2026.
According to a statement from Knightscild Chambers, which represents Sesi-Edem and Dr Atokple, EOCO acknowledged this deadline in court but proceeded to investigate the company for alleged fraud and money laundering and froze its accounts.
In a ruling delivered on 19 March 2026, the High Court found no basis for those allegations. It ordered the company’s accounts to be unfrozen and held that EOCO had acted outside its legal mandate, breaching the company’s constitutional right to administrative justice.
The court noted that EOCO itself had earlier sought confirmation of its freezing orders from the same court in Adentan. However, after hearing both sides, the court reversed that position and revoked the orders.
Despite this, EOCO issued a public statement on 30 March 2026 declaring the company’s directors wanted and signalling plans to continue investigations. The latest court action was filed in response to that move.
The High Court has now directed EOCO to suspend the “wanted” declaration and take no further steps based on it pending the outcome of the substantive case.
Court bailiffs have served the order on EOCO, placing its leadership on notice to comply.
Sesi-Edem Company Limited maintains that neither it nor its directors have engaged in any criminal conduct, describing the dispute as a contractual matter governed by agreed terms. The company says it will continue to defend its rights and ensure the court’s authority is upheld.
