AG’s reasons for EOCO to halt money laundering probe against Dapaah not grounded in law – Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has asked the Attorney General to withdraw its letter to EOCO in which it advised the agency to cease investigating former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah for money laundering.

Describing the advice as “false and not grounded in law,” Kpebu stated that there was no need for a predicate offence for prosecution against the former minister as suggested by the AG.

Speaking on Citi TV's ‘The Big Issue’, he said “The letter is a huge mistake, a faux pas, that was a wrong step because the letter is not grounded in law. The AG is insisting that you need a predicate offence before you can prosecute someone for money laundering, but that is not correct, it’s false, we have changed the law. There’s a new law, for us in Ghana, that says no need for predicate offence.”

Kpebu insisted that the AG needs to step in due to Dapaah's failure to justify her wealth.

“Cecilia Dapaah cannot explain her source of money, if you take her to court, she’s guilty. The Attorney General’s letter is so bad that it has to be withdrawn. The AG has to be humble, we all don’t know it all, if the AG has gotten it wrong, he should just accept his mistake. He cannot win every case.”

On May 1, the Attorney General's office advised EOCO against continuing with the money laundering probe against Cecilia Dapaah.

This advice came after the Special Prosecutor's office determined that the over one million dollars found at the then sanitation minister’s home was beyond its remit.

The Special Prosecutor further recommended that the focus should rather be on money laundering investigations.

ADG