The controversy surrounding whether lawyers for the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company, Abdul Hanan-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni were at the offices of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) during the period of their arrest and detention, has been put to bed by the Executive Director of EOCO, Mr. Raymond Archer.
The Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai speaking to media on Thursday, 7th May, 2026, had claimed that contrary to the allegation by the former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the lawyers for Hanan and his wife were not denied access to their clients during the period of their arrest and detention by EOCO as they failed to show up at EOCO to attend to their client but rather resorted to media interviews.
However, in a sharp contradiction in a radio interview on an Accra-based radio station, Joy FM on their popular programme, Newsfile, Mr. Raymond Archer admitted that the lawyers from Dame & Partners, solicitors for Hanan Abdul Wahab and wife, were at the offices of EOCO from the time the couple were arrested. However, he (Raymond Archer) could not attend to them since he was engaged with interrogation of other suspects. Mr. Archer indicated that he personally undertakes all the interrogations and therefore, could not have time to attend to Hanan, stressing that he left the office at 1 am on the first day of Hanan’s detention. He claimed that if the lawyers had had time he would have attended to them on the first day. It begs the question whether Raymond Archer wanted the lawyers to wait until after 1 am on the first day before finding time to attend to them.
Narrating the sequence of events, Raymond Archer claimed that Hanan and wife were taken into EOCO custody on Tuesday, 5th May, 2026. Immediately, he became sick after being fed with meat pie and a malt drink. Hanan was taken to the hospital and according to Raymond Archer, he came back late from the hospital. When Hanan returned from the hospital, they (EOCO officers with Raymond) were in the middle of interrogation and could not attend to him. According to Raymond Archer, on that day, he finished work and left the office around 1 am. That is why he could not attend to Hanan. He further stated that if the lawyers of Hanan had been around by the time he finished work, he would have attended to them.
On the second day too, according to the EOCO Executive Director, Hanan’s lawyers came to EOCO and asked to see him because he is the one who personally undertakes all interrogations. When the lawyers came, again he was engaged in a number of interrogations – the Kofi Jumah, PDS and COCOBOD cases.
The lawyers from Dame & Partners came and met the PDS crew. He could not attend to them because he, Raymond had to attend to Minkah Premo first. He (Raymond Archer) therefore wondered whether the lawyers from Dame & Partners wanted him to jump the process for Minkah Premo. The lawyers left later in the day after waiting until about 5 pm. When he finished with Minkah Premo, he asked to see the lawyers. He was told they had left. He asked to call them back. When the lawyers were not coming back, he granted Hanan and wife bail around 7 pm.
The following ensued in the interview between the host of the programme, Samson Ladi Anyeni and Mr. Raymond Archer.
Samson: On Tuesday, the (Hanan and wife) were discharged by the court and you arrested them on the court premises. The lawyers followed them to EOCO. When they followed them to EOCO, they were not given access. What you are saying is that they had asked to see you because they had been asked to see you, but they could not see you because you were busy doing multiple things. As you stated, Hanan is served some malt drink and meat pie. He complains and starts vomiting. You took him to the hospital, and he returned in the evening. Is that correct?
Raymond: When a suspect says he is sick, there is nothing I can do. I am not a doctor.
Samson: What time did Hanan return to EOCO from the hospital?
A: I have to check. Everything is logged. When you are a lawyer and you are waiting for your client, you do not know how many other lawyers are also waiting? If they (the lawyers for Hanan) had waited until I close, they would have seen them.
Samson: The lawyers placed a number of phone calls to you, according to them. Is that correct?
Raymond: I have not seen their calls.
Samson: I have seen a call log that shows that they called you. That shows that there were at least 2 calls one at 13.04 pm and another at 18.02 pm.
Raymond: So that is the denial you are talking about? I do not know who is calling.
Samson: I suspect you had Godfred Dame’s phone number.
Raymond: Now you are asking whether I had saved his phone number.
Samson: So on Wednesday, the following day, they came again and they even opted to use the normal visiting hours open to the public to see their client. They were denied that one too.
Raymond: So, that is what I am telling you. We were busy with Mr. Minkah Premo and I do not know whether they expected us to take them over and above Mr. Minkah Premo.
Samson: So, the question that comes up is, if you could release a client at a time that his lawyers were unavailable on the second day, how could you not release him on the first day?
Raymond: If you want to release a person, it is not as if you release him on the telephone…
Samson: This is Hanan who could not be released on the first day because he was sick, how could you not release his wife who was not sick?
Raymond: You see now what they are doing? Are they abandoning the story about Hanan and focusing on his wife?
Samson: No, I am the one asking questions about Hanan’s wife because she was in custody with him…
Samson: These are lawyers who say they were at your office for total of 30 hours, and you still say they were not available?
Raymond: Does the 30 hours include the time Hanan was at the hospital?
Samson: You have not answered my question which is that they were already on bail, you could have let them go on bail on the old bail terms?
Raymond: Samson, they were under arrest. We could have held them for 48 hours. We let them go before that time. What is the fuss about that? You yourself said that the first case was withdrawn, we rearrested them. We could have held them for 48 hours. We were rather magnanimous in staying until late in the night and ensuring that these people would go home. The only problem I have is that when they came, they wanted everything to stop and for everybody to listen to Hanan because there is a red carpet that should be rolled for the former Attorney-general. That kind of mindset I will not tolerate.