The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) received Fellows from the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) at the EOCO Head Office in Accra.
Speaking at the opening of the engagement, the Deputy Executive Director of General Services, Madam Aba J. Opoku expressed her delight to have fellows of MFWA visit the Office to learn about EOCO’s operations and related matters.
She added that what the media reports about EOCO is very important in shaping public discourse and as such, requires such engagements.
Taking his turn, the Technical Advisor to EOCO, Mr Benjamin Ndego noted that the mandate of EOCO involves investigating complex organised crime. It is therefore imperative that the media understand how EOCO’s law works in order to give credible reportage on its operations and related activities
.
The facilitator, SO Sedina Gbeve presented an overview of EOCO’s mandate and highlighted the agency’s role in combating economic and organised crime. She outlined how cases are initiated at EOCO and why the phenomenon of Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) is of concern to the Office.
She explained that IFFs involve the movement of money across borders illegally or the legal movement of illegal money. She further indicated that these IFFs are usually sourced by underlying crimes like bribery and corruption, organised criminal activities, draining state resources and illegal exploitation of natural resources etc. This phenomenon, she added, results in undermining governance and distorting economies.
She indicated that despite some challenges that EOCO faces in the fight against IFFs including budgetary constraints and limited technology, EOCO continues to work assiduously towards fighting this menace.
SO Sedina Gbeve emphasised the very crucial role that the media plays in combating IFFs by fostering transparency and accountability through its reportage and creating public awareness.
She concluded by admonishing the media to follow best practices for media reporting: such as avoiding sensationalism and exaggeration, to avoid compromising ongoing investigations.