OSP unfreezes 5 of Cecilia Dapaah’s bank accounts; others remain frozen
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has lifted the freezing order on five bank accounts belonging to former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah.
Former Minister for Sanitation and Waters Resources, Cecilia Dapaah
This development came to light in a press statement released on Monday, October 16. However, the freezing order on other bank accounts and financial assets owned by Ms. Dapaah remains in effect.
In July 2023, the OSP initiated an investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses involving significant sums of money and valuable items allegedly linked to Ms. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources. To aid the investigation, the Special Prosecutor issued a freezing order on Ms. Dapaah’s bank accounts and financial assets.
Before this, the OSP had already charged the embattled former Minister for failing to declare her income and property. In an official statement of offense filed at the High Court on Friday, October 6, the OSP asserted that Cecilia Dapaah had neglected to respond to a notice requiring her to declare her property within the stipulated 30-day period, as mandated by the OSP Act. The OSP deemed this noncompliance as a violation of the OSP Act and requested appropriate sanctions.
According to the statement, Ms. Dapaah, who is 68 years old, failed to comply with a notice served by the Special Prosecutor on July 24, 2023, to declare her property and income within the prescribed time frame. This noncompliance was cited as a contravention of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018, and specifically regulation 20(1) as outlined in Forms 1A and 1B of the First Schedule of the OSP Act.
The OSP’s decision to revoke the freezing order on five of Ms. Dapaah’s bank accounts is a noteworthy update in this ongoing case. While specific reasons for this change were not outlined in the statement, it suggests a degree of complexity in the investigation, potentially leading to a differentiation between the frozen assets.
Moreover, the OSP’s statement comes on the heels of their request to the Chief Justice to have Justice Edward Twum recused from all cases involving Cecilia Dapaah.
The OSP voiced concerns that the judge may hold prejudiced views against the institution, and therefore, sought his removal from all their cases before him. This further underscores the contentious and multifaceted nature of the investigations involving Ms. Dapaah.
Source: PulseGhana
