Cecilia Dapaah 'not cleared' by FBI-OSP
By DL News
Published
1 min read
In a statement issued Monday, August 19, the OSP said several outlets had wrongly reported that Ms. Dapaah had been “cleared” or that “no evidence of corruption” was found. Some of these reports, the office noted, even cited its own half-ye...
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has pushed back against what it calls “misleading” and “mischievous” media reports suggesting that former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, was exonerated after a joint investigation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In a statement issued Monday, August 19, the OSP said several outlets had wrongly reported that Ms. Dapaah had been “cleared” or that “no evidence of corruption” was found. Some of these reports, the office noted, even cited its own half-year report as the source of the claims.
The OSP insisted this was a distortion of its findings, pointing to section 2.26 of its report. The report stated that “no direct and immediate evidence of corruption was identified during the investigations,” a conclusion which, the OSP stressed, is legally nuanced and not equivalent to saying “no evidence” existed or that Ms. Dapaah had been absolved.
While the FBI’s involvement was at the OSP’s request, the Special Prosecutor noted that the joint inquiry revealed “strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring.” These matters, the statement explained, fall under the jurisdiction of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The OSP revealed that the case had previously been referred to EOCO, but the former leadership failed to act and returned the docket. Under new leadership, however, EOCO has since requested and received the case file to pursue further investigations.
Calling for more responsible journalism, the OSP urged media houses to report with accuracy and fidelity to official texts, particularly when dealing with sensitive national matters.
