Former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Madam Cecilia Dapaah, has disclosed that monies mysteriously credited to her deceased brother’s account were for payment of his children’s fees.
This revelation was in response to claims by the Office of the Special Prosecutor that the supposed transfer was suspicious since the brother has been dead for a few months.
Ms. Dapaah detailed that the account was opened with funeral donations collected by Cal Bank at her brother’s final funeral rite.
“The truth is that funds were transferred from an account in the name “The Late Nana Akwasi Essan,” to which I am a signatory. The funds were transferred to me for payment of the school fees of my late brother’s children,” the lawyers of the Dapaah stated in court documents cited by 3news.com.
The OSP has reverted to the High Court, seeking confirmation of its freeze and seizure order. It would be recalled that the OSP seized $590,000 dollars and two million, eight hundred and sixty-two thousand and seven Ghana cedis during a thorough search of Ms. Dapaah’s residence. Her accounts together were frozen.
An Accra High Court, however, instructed the OSP to release the cash and asked for the accounts to be unfrozen.
The OSP acted on this order but shortly announced it had seized the cash and issued a fresh freezing order. The Minister has, through her lawyers, filed court documents asking the court to once again kick against this request for confirmation of the OSP’s actions.
The lawyers accused the OSP of acting in bad faith and making unfounded allegations against the minister in question. They recount that on September 4, they were called to appear at the offices of the OSP to receive the seized cash. After waiting for hours, the funds were then released, but upon reaching the parking lot, they were called to return to the office they had just left.
“When I got to the 7th floor, I was told by one of the applicant’s officers that he had the pleasure to inform me that the applicant (OSP) was re-seizing the money. They proceeded to re-count it and then served me notice of the re-seizure,” the minister recounts in court documents.
The OSP had also accused the former minister of engaging in an undeclared real estate business. It was further alleged that she had sold a property to a third party under the nick name “Nana Yaa Ode”.
Ms. Dapaah rebuts that she doesn’t own any real estate business, and investigators have failed to prove beyond all reasonable doubt to support the claim. She adds that she has not in any way concealed her identity to sell any assets but rather sold the said property in a representative capacity for Nana Yaa Ode, also known as Nana Ode Nyarko, her mother, who is deceased.
The OSP’s application was expected to be moved to the High Court on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. However, a lawyer for Ms. Dapaah, Victoria Barth, has filed an application for an abridgment of time for the application to be heard by the court earlier.
Victoria Barth argues that since the action by the OSP is a repeat application, the OSP has foreknowledge of the basis of Ms. Dapaah’s opposition and will therefore not be prejudiced by an early hearing.
The application for an extension of time is expected to be heard on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
By Lawrence Odoom
