The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has officially transferred the investigation of the financial affairs and assets of former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Dapaah, along with her associates, to the Economic and Organized Crime Office – EOCO. This was after investigations identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring.
After about seven months of extensive investigation by the OSP and a parallel inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – FBI – of the United States, the OSP says no direct and immediate evidence of corruption was found in the seized funds and frozen bank accounts linked to Ms. Dapaah and her associates. The investigation however identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring.
In compliance with section 3 of Act 959, which mandates the OSP to cooperate and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies, the case has been transferred to EOCO for further investigation. The OSP says, by law, they cannot investigate, prosecute or recover proceeds of crime, except those that fall within corruption and corruption-related offences as defined under section 79 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act,2017 (Act 959).
In August 2023, the OSP acted by freezing Ms. Dapaah’s bank accounts and confiscating $590,000 and GH¢2.73 million from her residence after news of theft of a substantial amount of cash in cedis and foreign currencies went viral. Until today, the Office had been in court to confirm the frozen bank accounts and the seized monies pending the outcome of investigations. A portion of the inquiry was entrusted to the FBI due to allegations suggesting involvement of transfer of funds from the USA.
