The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has denied releasing any data or specifics regarding a former Minister of sanitation and water resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah’s bank accounts.
The Special Prosecutor’s office claimed in a public statement that it had not divulged any information regarding the frozen bank accounts. “The OSP urges the public to disregard media accounts on purported bank balances reported to have been disclosed by the OSP,” the OSP said in a notice posted on its social media handles.
After various media reports suggested that the OSP had disclosed that Dapaah had $5 million and GHC48 million in her accounts with two banks in Ghana, the OSP denied the claims.
Court To Decide Fate Of Cecilia Dapaah’s 7 Frozen Bank Accounts On August 17
A plea from the Special Prosecutor to affirm the freezing of seven bank accounts with both local and foreign currency belonging to the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, has been filed with the Financial Division of the High Court in Accra.
Court documents filed by the OSP have in them, a letter the office wrote to two banks (names withheld), to “with immediate effect direct the freezing of the bank accounts and investments of Cecilia Abena Dapaah with your bank pending investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of your customer. This order takes immediate effect and shall apply to any account and financial assets held by the within-named persons with any branch of your bank…”
“Until this order is revoked or lapses, your bank shall not allow any transaction on the accounts and investments without the written authority of the Office of the Special Prosecutor…”
According to the records, the OSP followed section 38 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) when taking the action.
According to the OSP document, Cecilia Dapaah has seven accounts (three of them are with one bank and four with the other).
Following the discovery that Madam Dapaah was keeping more than $1 million in her Abelemkpe residence, the OSP opened a corruption and corruption-related offense investigation into her activities for possible corruption and other related offenses.
This occurred as the Police and Attorney General are pursuing criminal charges against those who are said to have stolen money from the Minister’s home.
When it was revealed that Madam Dapaah’s house helps had been prosecuted for allegedly stealing $1 million, €300,000, numerous millions of cedis, and the personal belongings of the former Minister and her husband in July 2023, the story quickly went viral. Following a widespread outcry, Cecilia Dapaah resigned from her post. The OSP detained her, and she was eventually released on bail.
On July 24, 2023, representatives from the Office of the Special Prosecutor searched the former Minister of sanitation’s home. According to the reports, the OSP discovered GH2,730,000 and US$590,000 at the former Minister’s Abelemkpe home.
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