Manhyia South MP Nana Awuah Charged: The GH¢9.85M SIC Life Case Explained

On October 3, 2026, the Office of the Attorney-General charged Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah at the High Court's Specialised Jurisdiction Division in Accra.He faces three counts: conspiracy to commit a crime, intentionally causing financial loss to a public body, and money laundering.

State prosecutors allege that Awuah, acting as legal counsel for SIC Life,conspired with the company's former Managing Director in 2024 to dissipate GH¢9.85 million belonging to the public institution. The roots of the case trace to May 2020, when Awuah’s law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, was engaged by SIC Life to recover a GH¢6.3million debt from Equity Savings and Loans Limited under a contract providing a 15% success fee plus 1% for expenses. By May 2024, the revised judgment debt reached GH¢14.85 million.

To enforce the judgment, a 31.93-acre land asset at Adamorobe, Oyibi—valued at GH¢25 million—was attached by the court. However, Equity purportedly sold the attached land to Eco Swiss Investment Limited for GH¢21.76 million on March 14, 2024, despite findings that Eco Swiss was unincorporated at the time.

On July 18, 2024, SIC Life, Equity, and Eco Swiss executed a settlement agreement where SIC Life accepted GH¢5 million as full settlement of the GH¢14.85 million debt. Prosecutors claim this arrangement, signed without prior corporate approval, allocated about GH¢2.2 million in legal fees to Awuah's firm and GH¢1 million in auctioneer fees.

The money laundering charge stems from an alleged GH¢1 million cheque Awuah issued to SIC Life's former Managing Director on November 11, 2024—representing nearly half of the legal fees received. Awuah voluntarily surrendered to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on October 1, 2026, following a court warrant.

The MP's detention prompted reaction from Parliament, with Speaker Alban Bagbin explicitly calling for "restraint and fairness in the exercise of coercive powers". Throughout the ongoing proceedings, Awuah maintains his constitutional right to be presumed innocent unless proven guilty

This High Court prosecution represents a major legal test regarding public finance management, corporate recovery standards, and political oversight in Ghana. As the court prepares for formal arraignment and bail considerations, the proceedings will carry lasting implications for judicial transparency.