BOST Scandal Twist! EOCO Wants Stricter Conditions as Provencal Faces Flight-Risk Concerns
Just days after his attorneys were successful in lowering his bail from GH¢60 million to GH¢30 million with two sureties, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has returned to the High Court with a new application seeking stricter bail conditions for former BOST Managing Director Edwin Provencal.Provencal is being investigated for allegedly causing financial damage to the state after being detained on Monday, November 10, at Kotoka International Airport while trying to go to Mozambique.
After his attorneys successfully petitioned the High Court for a variation, EOCO reduced his administrative bail from GH¢60 million to GH¢30 million with two sureties.But now that it is back in court, EOCO is pleading with the High Court to modify its own bail ruling by adding two crucial conditions: the sureties’ justification and a precise reporting schedule for the accused while the inquiry is ongoing.EOCO contends in an affidavit signed by Assistant Staff Officer Joseph Normesinu that the present bail system poses a significant risk of nonenforceability in the event that Provencal jumps bail. According to EOCO, the State may not have any assets or money to rely on during forfeiture procedures as the bond was “not justified.”The document states that if there is no reason, “the sureties are not to provide any property on which the Republic will fall in execution of the bail sum if the Applicant/Respondent jumps bail and the sureties cannot produce him.”According to EOCO, justification is a common precaution to guarantee that sureties have the financial means to cover the bail sum in the case of failure.
