Lawyer and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communication Team, Theophilius Dzimega Jr, has challenged the description of Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah’s appearance at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as voluntary.According to Mr Dzimega Jr, the MP reported to EOCO only after the Accra High Court had issued a warrant for his arrest, following earlier attempts by the agency to secure his attendance for questioning.Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 3, he said the existence of the arrest warrant meant the MP’s decision to report to EOCO could not simply be characterised as a voluntary appearance.“The idea that he (Baffour Awuah) went there voluntarily is not voluntary. There had been an arrest warrant issued. And it is the pain of being arrested based on the back of that arrest warrant that made him to go there,” he said.Mr Dzimega Jr acknowledged that the warrant had not been executed at the time the MP reported to EOCO, but maintained that Mr Baffour Awuah had already been placed on notice that authorities intended to arrest him.“Yes, we could say that the arrest warrant was not executed. That is granted. But generally I think he’s been put on notice and almost everybody has been put on notice that an arrest warrant has been issued to bring Baffour Awuah,” he added.The High Court issued the arrest warrant on September 30 after EOCO told the court that it had exhausted reasonable efforts to secure the MP’s voluntary attendance. The court also authorised the agency to search for and seize documents relevant to its investigation.Mr Baffour Awuah subsequently reported to EOCO on October 1, accompanied by his lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, and some parliamentary colleagues. He remained in EOCO custody as of October 2 while investigators continued their work.Mr Dzimega also questioned the circumstances surrounding the earlier invitations allegedly issued to the MP in February.“In any case, if we say that someone was invited way back in February and the person never attended. And there had been issues like I’ll send the letter to the clerk of parliament etc. We do not know what went on behind,” he said.He argued that it would have been difficult for EOCO officials to rely on informal encounters with the MP to secure his attendance for questioning.“In any case, you don’t expect Raymond Archer to meet you on the street or at a conference and having jolly any other time to say, ‘But you bro, we have been looking for you. When are you going to come?’ How are we going to explain that tomorrow?” he asked.Mr Dzimega Jr said the circumstances surrounding the MP’s appearance should therefore be described accurately.“We are going to say that he even met me in parliament when I was doing parliamentary duties and told me that they are looking for me. We will be the same persons to say even in parliament we were chasing him to say that we are looking for him. He didn’t go there voluntarily. Let’s make that clear,” he said.EOCO has maintained that it had made efforts to secure Mr Baffour Awuah’s attendance after inviting him twice in February 2026. The agency told the High Court that those efforts had been unsuccessful before it sought the warrant.The investigation concerns alleged unauthorised financial transactions involving SIC Life Savings and Loans, with authorities citing suspected offences including financial loss, dissipation of public funds and money laundering.