Petition to CJ: OSP 'desperate' over own ill-fated application' - Cecilia Dapaah's lawyer

It appears the legal tussle between the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and former Minister for Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, will take longer than expected.

This is because the OSP has petitioned the Chief Justice, Gertrude Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo to ask the presiding Judge, Edward Twum to recuse himself from the case.

The OSP had seized a substantial sum of money from Cecilia Dapaah's residence during a search operation related to a case involving the alleged stealing of millions of Ghanaian cedis and valuable items by seven individuals, including her former househelp.

During court's session on Thursday October 12, 2023, Justice Edward Twum disclosed the petition, stating, "I have received a letter that the OSP has written to the Chief Justice, asking that I recuse myself from the case. We should take a date to await the decision of the Chief Justice on the petition."

In response, Cecilia Dapaah's lawyer, Victoria Barth, expressed dissatisfaction with the delay, arguing that the OSP should have provided prior notice of such a significant move. She raised concerns about the timing and the potential motives behind the petition, noting that it appeared to be an attempt to hinder the morning's hearing.

It is regrettable that this petition should come so late in the day when no prior indication or complaint has been made regarding your lordship capacity, competence, or integrity in dealing with this matter.

"We see it without prejudice to the merit of this petition as a deliberate ploy to frustrate this morning’s hearing and a desperate attempt to avoid his own ill-fated application. Nevertheless, the inevitable cannot be avoided, and there shall be a day of reckoning," Victoria Barth stated in court.

Furthermore, the court was unable to address another case in which the OSP had charged Cecilia Dapaah for refusing to comply with a directive to declare her assets and money.

Justice Edward Twum has rescheduled the proceedings to October 18, 2023, with the hope that the Chief Justice will have made a decision on the OSP's petition by that date.