THE ECONOMIC and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has denied frustrating the efforts of victims of the Global Coin Community Help (GCCH) to retrieve their lost investment.
EOCO was responding to publications by Peacefmonline.com and Daybreak Newspaper which sought to put EOCO in bad light.
EOCO in a release May 23, 2019, and signed by its Head of Public Relations, Jacqueline Avotre, said it was “working assiduously to defend the legitimate interest of the entire customers of GCCH and not just those in Koforidua.”
It said “the Office wishes to set the records straight as follows: investigation against the GCCH commenced on 9th October, 2018.”
The statement added that “on 18th January, 2019, an application was filed at the High Court (Financial Division 2, Accra) preserve the Gh₵ 3.7 million left in the GCB account before the criminal trial commenced.”
It noted that three days after the preservation order, the customers also obtained an order (Garnishee) and release order dated 21st January, 2019 from the High Court Koforidua to be enforced against the company’s account at GCB.”
According to the statement, thus the Garnishee order could not be enforced, saying “the lawyers for the aggrieved Koforidua customers filed contempt application against GCB for not defreezing the company’s account as per the Garnishee order and release order dated 21st January, 2019.
It explained that “this Office then filed an affidavit in opposition. In a ruling dated 28th March, 2019, the High Court (Financial Division 2, Accra) dismissed an application seeking to defreeze the said account.”
It concluded that “on 20th May, 2019, the Office went to Koforidua High Court and argued an application for joinder in the contempt suit that EOCO and GCB have not done anything to suffer any liability. The continuous preservation of the GCB account of the accused company is legal and not an act of willful disobedience to the court nor an act to frustrate the victims of GCCH to retrieve their lost investment.”
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