OSP’s freezing confirmation refused; Ordered to return Cecilia Dapaah’s stolen cash within 7 days
The OSP is currently investigating the former Minister in charge of Sanitation for corruption and corruption-related offenses
A High Court in Accra has today declined the confirmation of a freezing order by the Office of the Special Prosecutor and ordered it to return to Madam Cecilia Dapaah sums of money seized by the Office.
The OSP is currently investigating the former Minister in charge of Sanitation for corruption and corruption-related offenses.
Following the negative publications about Madam Dapaah on July 21 on a pending 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, she resigned from her position.
Subsequently, she was arrested by the Special Prosecutor, and searches conducted at her residence in Accra where substantial sums of US$590,000 and GHC2.730,000 were discovered by Officers.
Later, the OSP issued a freezing order directed at the accounts of Madam Dapaah at the Prudential Bank and sought confirmation of the same at the High Court.
In its notice for confirmation, the OSP among others prayed the court to confirm 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 (Act) and regulations 19((2)(b) of L.I. 2374.
However, counsel for the embattled minister maintained that her client had not committed any wrong that the OSP was in flagrant breach of its own enabling law, and that the OSP was merely seeking to perpetrate an arbitrary exercise, based on suspicion fueled by misrepresentation and media frenzy.
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.
