No basis for EOCO to conduct money laundering investigations into Cecilia Dapaah - A-G

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, has indicated that there is no evidence of corruption or procurement breaches against the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, and her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor.

This is according to a correspondence between the Chief Executive Officer of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah and the Attorney General (AG), Godfred Dame on a request by EOCO for direction on the Cecilia Dapaah’s case, which was referred to it by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

In the said correspondence sighted by GhanaWeb, the AG indicated his office's review of the OSP case against the former minister and a report by EOCO, found no evidence of corruption-related offences or procurement violation on the side of the former minister and her husband.

The AG's letter stated: "A study of the docket from the OSP and the report by your office indicates that: a. investigations by the OSP did not establish any evidence of corruption, corruption-related offences, or procurement breaches against the suspects; b. the OSP has returned money and other properties retrieved from the suspects in the course of their investigations to them, and the suspects have been accordingly discharged by the OSP."

EOCO's request was for the AG's office to provide guidance on how to proceed with the investigation into the money laundering allegations made against the former minister and her husband by the OSP.

The AG's response to EOCO was that "the OSP's referral to EOCO for investigations to be conducted into money laundering is without basis."

The OSP closed its case against the former minister and her husband, who were accused of corruption and corruption-related offences after two of their house helps allegedly stole $1 million and €300,000 in cash, along with other valuable items from their residence in Abelemkpe.

The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, concluded that his office lacked the authority to prosecute or take further action against the former minister and referred the case to EOCO. The referral was based on the suspicion that the large sums of money found at Cecilia Dapaah’s properties and bank accounts could be the proceeds of a money laundering and structuring scheme.

BAI/EK

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