The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has said that an Accra High Court ruling chastising his office for seizing more money found in former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah’s home was unfair.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, November 29, the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, said, “To actually fault us for going to find more money in the residence is unfair.”
However, he added that the OSP plans to collaborate with state agencies to investigate suspicions of money laundering against Ms Dapaah.
“The investigation became cross-border and trans-boundary upon the claim by persons of interest that part of the seized cash sums was transported into the jurisdiction of the United States. For that reason, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America became involved in collaborative investigative work with the OSP on the matter.
“The investigation has been largely aimed at determining the sources of the large cash sums. We have had the benefits of five months of investigation, and the circumstances of the case are clearer to us. Part of the case is in the province of money laundering and structuring,” Mr Agyebeng said.
On Thursday, August 31, an Accra High Court instructed the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to return the money within seven days and rescind its August 9 decision to freeze her dollar and cedi accounts.
The monies were seized at Ms Dapaah’s home in Abelemkpe when officers from the OSP searched three houses associated with the former minister.
The OSP, after finding the $590,000 and GH¢2.73 million, seized the property on suspicion that it was tainted property. The application for confirmation was then made in accordance with the provisions of the OSP Act, Act 959.
However, the court dismissed the application on the grounds that it was made out of time.
The court also described the search that resulted in the order to seize the properties as a breach of the OSP Act. According to the court, the conditions precedent for a property to be seized were not met.
But in response to the court’s order, the OSP, in a statement, said it respected the directive but disagreed with it because it was erroneous.
The OSP further clarified that its decision to freeze the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources’ accounts was not based on public sentiment as purported.
Background
It emerged on Friday, July 21, that two house helps of the minister were facing charges before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing an amount of $1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghanaian cedis at the former minister’s residence at Abelenkpe, Accra, in October 2022.
The two, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, allegedly stole the money and personal effects of the minister and her husband between the months of July and October 2022.
Both have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing US$1 million, €300,000 and millions of Ghana cedis.
The 68-year-old former minister disputes the figures in the court document, but the revelations outraged many in Ghana.
Ms Dapaah subsequently resigned as minister of sanitation and water resources.