Former President and NDC flagbearer, John Mahama says if the NDC is elected into power, his government would probe allegations of corruption against former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
My government will reopen investigations into alleged acts of corruption and graft in the Cecelia Dapaah case.
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) May 2, 2024
Mahama’s statement comes in reaction to the Attorney-General’s conclusion that there is no legal basis for the continuous investigation of Ms. Dapaah for suspected money laundering and structuring.
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“It is thus difficult to ascertain the basis for the OSP’s suspicion of the commission of the offence for money laundering and structuring by the suspects. A study of all documents on the docket submitted by the OSP does not disclose how the offence of money laundering and structuring might have been committed, as alleged by the OSP,” Chief State Attorney, Evelyn Keelson wrote in her advice to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), which is currently investigating the former minister for suspected money laundering.
Read Also: Cecilia Dapaah: Attorney-General Finds OSP’s Allegations of Money Laundering Baseless
Ms Dapaah was previously investigated by the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) for corruption and corruption-related offences when in July last year, she reported her domestic staff for theft. The amount reported stolen involved $1 million, 300,000 euros, several millions of Ghana cedis, and personal effects, prompting an investigation by the OSP.
At the time, the OSP believed the amounts found in her home and bank accounts were tainted, and proceeded to collaborate with the FBI to investigate her overseas accounts.
But later in January this year, the OSP decided to halt its investigations, on the reason that the case now bordered on money laundering, and therefore should be handled by EOCO.
Read Also: OSP Drops Cases Against Cecilia Dapaah, Says EOCO Will Now Probe Money-Laundering Allegations
Overall, the incident raised serious questions about the sources of Ms. Dapaah’s wealth – more so because many were shocked to learn that a minister was holding huge amounts of foreign currency to herself at home.
