Freezing of Cecilia Dapaah's bank accounts: Court to rule on OSP's confirmation request August 31

An Accra High Court has set Thursday, August 31 to rule on an application by the Office Special Prosecutor (OSP), seeking confirmation for the freezing and seizure of bank accounts and investments of former Minister for Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah

The former Minister is currently being investigated by the OSP on charges of corruption and corruption-related offences, following her arrest and the subsequent searches at her three(3) residential properties that led to the discovery of various cash sums, and those in her bank accounts. 

While the OSP has not disclosed the exact sums of money from the ongoing investigation, it stated in court filings that in its reasonable estimation, the seized cash of the former minister is “tainted and thus very necessary to prevent its concealment or loss.”

And is thus praying the court confirms the seizure of the suspected tainted property and the freezing order in pursuance of sections 32(2) and 38(2) of the Special Prosecutor Act (Act959) and regulations 19((2)(b) of L.I. 2374.

However, the embattled former Minister in response has maintained no wrongdoing, saying that the OSP is in flagrant breach of its own enabling law, and that the OSP is merely seeking to perpetrate an arbitrary exercise, based on suspicion fueled by misrepresentation and media frenzy.

Background

Several negative publications about Madam Dapaah were publicized on July 21 after she had filed a complaint together with her husband and further commenced a criminal action against four(4) persons believed to include their former house help for theft of various valuable items from her residence including a sum of One Million US Dollars and Three Hundred Thousand Euros.

The substantive criminal matter involving the stealing of various sums of money from Madam Dapaah has meanwhile been taken over by the Attorney General with the suspects being granted bail.