The Office of the Special Prosecutor has charged former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, for refusing to comply with a directive from the office to declare her assets and money.
According to the OSP, Cecilia Dapaah who is being investigated for corruption-related offences, among others, has refused to provide the OSP with documents given her to declare her property and income since July 24, 2023.
Portions of the charge sheet filed by the OSP revealed that the accused was, until 22 July 2023, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, and is a suspect under investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for corruption and corruption-related offences.
It further indicated that charges against her includes using public office for profit in respect of suspected tainted large cash sums reportedly stolen from her residential premises and also retrieved from same by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Owing to this, the OSP charged the former minister with one count of failing to comply with a lawful demand of an authorized officer of the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the performance of his functions, contrary to section 69(1)(a) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
Furthermore, the OSP indicated that the accused was duly notified as per the statutory forms and by a cover letter under the seal of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the seal and mark of the Special Prosecutor, that she was required by law to make the specified declarations and return same to the Office of the Special Prosecutor as per Form 12 of the First Schedule of L.I. 2374, within thirty (30) days of service on her of the notice.
“The evidence will establish that on 24 July 2023, the Special Prosecutor, in the performance of his functions, served on the accused a notice to declare her property and income under regulation 20(1) per Forms 11A and 11B of the First Schedule of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374).”
Office of Special Prosecutor
Moreover, the OSP noted that as at the close of business on 5th October 2023, the “accused had wilfully failed, without lawful excuse”, to return the duly completed statutory forms to the Office of the Special Prosecutor, more than thirty days after the service of the notice and forms on her.
Cecilia Dapaah files court injuction
Prior to this, the former Sanitation Minister filed an interlocutory injunction application against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
This was an attempt to stop the Office from investigating and prosecuting her and her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor, on charges of suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.
Court documents revealed that Cecilia Dapaah prayed the court to compel the OSP to unfreeze her bank accounts and also declare the reseizure of monies found in her Abelemkpe residence and the refreezing of her bank accounts as unfair and capricious.
“A Declaration that the Respondent’s re-seizure of the money (initially seized from the Applicant’s home on 24/07/23) and re-freezing of Applicant’s bank accounts respectively on 5th September 2023 is unfair, unreasonable, capricious, arbitrary, and ultra vires the Respondent’s statutory powers under Act 959 relative to the constitutional provisions of Articles 23 and 296 of the Constitution, 1992.”
Court document
Lawyers for Cecilia Dapaah are also seeking the court to issue “an Order prohibiting the Respondent from continuing the investigation of the Applicant and her husband for corruption or corruption-related offences”.
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