An Accra High Court has mandated the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to return Cecilia Dapaah’s seized money to her within a period of seven days.
The former Sanitation Minister found herself entangled in a legal dispute when her assets were seized by the OSP. However, the court has overturned this action, directing the OSP to return the confiscated funds to her.
The OSP is investigating Madam Dapaah for corruption and corruption-related offences following the revelation that she was keeping more than $1 million in her house.
In the wake of the startling revelation of stolen funds by her domestic staff, the Office of the Special Prosecutor embarked on a comprehensive search of the minister’s residences, prompted by the staggering amounts that were reported stolen.
Meanwhile, Cecilia Dapaah has described the application of the special prosecutor to confirm a freeze and seizure order against her properties as an attempt to perpetuate the arbitrary exercise of power based on the misrepresentation of facts and the resultant media frenzy.
She asserts that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is infringing upon its own legal framework and is engaging in an arbitrary process driven solely by suspicion fueled by distorted representation and media frenzy.
Currently entangled in a legal dispute, the OSP is pursuing a court order to validate the freezing of Cecilia Abena Dapaah’s bank account and the confiscation of properties located within her residence, which they suspect to have been acquired through illegal means.
This move follows the recent revelation of stolen funds by her domestic staff, prompting the OSP to conduct searches at her residences.
Ms Dapaah resigned as minister of sanitation and water resources a post she had held for the last five years on Saturday in order, she said, not to distract from the work of the government. She added that she was sure that any investigation would show she had acted with integrity.