Cecilia Dapaah Scandal: ASEPA Says Case Should Cause Ghanaians To Lose Hope In Corruption Fight
- The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability has criticised the handling of the Cecilia Dapaah case
- ASEPA’s boss, Mensah Thompson, told YEN.com.gh the handling of the case was evidence of a lost corruption fight
- The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) are at odds over the case
The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) Executive Director, Mensah Thompson, believes the impasse over the investigation of alleged corruption by former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah is the latest marker of the fight against corruption.
Thompson told YEN.com.gh that the inability to handle the case convincingly caused them to lose hope in the corruption fight.
Source: Facebook
“If you had any iota of hope that one day the failing fight against corruption will see progress, you must lose that hope today.”
Special Prosecutor Office said the Economic and Organised Crime Office did not have the appetite to prosecute Dapaah after the case was forwarded.
Thompson suggested that there should have been more urgency from the two agencies.
“To see independent officers of accountability playing chess with the serious matter of corruption of this magnitude which involves asset declaration, non-disclosure and illicit enrichment,” he said.
What does this mean for the Special Prosecutor?
Thompson said handling the Dapaah case is an example of how the Special Prosecutor has been rendered redundant.
He stressed that this case would cause Ghanaians to be very worried.
“I won't be surprised if, in the next global corruption perception index ranking, Ghana drops further in the global rankings because nothing could be more damaging than what we are seeing in respect to the fight against corruption.”
Ghana made no progress on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) following the 2023 calendar year.
According to Transparency International, Ghana scored 43 out of 100 and ranked 70 out of 180 countries.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that Ghana has made no progress.
Background to the scandal
Dapaah faced public scrutiny for alleged corruption after losing $1 million, €300,000, and an undisclosed amount of Ghana cedis said to have been stolen by her house helps. The scandal eventually led to her resignation.
Investigators reportedly tracked $5 million GH¢48 million moving through Dapaah’s Prudential Bank accounts.
It was also reported that the special prosecutor found $590,000 and GH¢2.7 million in cash while searching Dapaah's Abelemkpe residence.
At a point, the special prosecutor seized her money and froze accounts estimated to total about GH¢2.83 million as part of the investigation into corruption and corruption-related activities.
US law enforcement agency FBI also joined the fray and began investigations into the embattled former sanitation minister.
A High Court later ordered the return of the seized assets of the former minister.
Mahama promises to prosecute Cecilia Dapaah
YEN.com.gh reported that former President John Mahama has pledged to reinvestigate Dapaah if he becomes President again.
His assurance came after the Attorney General advised against money laundering investigations into Dapaah after she was found to have unexplained wealth.
"My government will reopen investigations into alleged acts of corruption and graft in the Cecelia Dapaah case,” Mahama tweeted.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
