Source: Prince Adu-Owusu
Former President John Mahama has expressed his discontent with the outcome of the investigation into the alleged acts of corruption involving the former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
Two house helps working for Mrs Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour faced charges in the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence in Abelemkpe, Accra.
The accused individuals, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, which included US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis. The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.
John Mahama
Responding to the matter on the referral of the Special Prosecutor to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for a money laundering investigation, the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice advised the EOCO against initiating money laundering investigations into the dealings of former Sanitation Minister.
The Attorney General’s office emphasised that the key to pursuing money laundering investigations lay in the capacity to prove that financial gains were obtained from criminal proceeds arising from unlawful activity.
The Attorney General’s office also advised against EOCO investigating the source of Cecilia Dapaah’s funds, citing that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had been tasked to take charge of that aspect of the case.
On the back of this, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress for the 2024 general elections disapproved of the developments regarding the matter.
In a post on X on Thursday, May 2, he said that his government would reopen investigations into the “alleged acts of corruption and graft” in the former Sanitation Minister’s case.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiatives (GII), Mary Awelana Addah says the EOCO could have conducted a more thorough investigation into the case of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
According to her, while EOCO may rely on the AG’s office for legal advice, it could have continued its investigation independently until it was necessary to seek advice for prosecution.
She said that EOCO should have pursued the investigation to its logical conclusion before consulting the Attorney General’s Office.
“But then it is what it is; it is very unfortunate; let me not mince words at all. The impression this is creating is that we can always get away with anything, particularly when it comes to issues around allegations of corruption because we would use the weakness in the regime or legal regime to get away with them,” she said.
