Cecilia Dapaah case: OSP request for money laundering investigation by EOCO without basis -AG

The Office of the Attorney General has indicated that a request by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate Madam Cecilia Dapaah for the offence of money laundering, ‘is without basis.’

This is because there has not been an identification of any criminality associated with the properties retrieved from the suspect's house.

On January 25, 2024, the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) withdrew from ongoing cases against the former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

The cases, which included a motion for confirmation of the freezing of her assets and a criminal one that bordered on the failure of the former minister to declare her assets, were transferred to EOCO.

A release by the OSP noted that its investigation with the FBI showed predominantly that the case concerns money laundering, which does not fall within its mandate and is thus transferred accordingly to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

However, in a three-page response letter to EOCO’s REQUEST FOR DIRECTION on the matter, the AG has advised that the OSP’s letter to EOCO did not disclose the basis for the suspension of the commission of the offence and thus made it difficult to ascertain its basis.

Further, the Attorney General’s letter, signed by Evelyn Keelson, Chief State Attorney, indicates that OSP did not disclose how the offence of money laundering and structuring might have been committed as alleged.

Also, the office observed that OSP failed to provide its findings or a copy of its report on the collaborative investigations conducted with the FBI and that it had to date not responded by EOCO to that effect.

The Attorney General notes in addition that it has instructed the Police Service to investigate the source of the huge money found in the home of Madam Cecilia Dapaah and thus would not be necessary for EOCO to do a similar investigation.