The Financial Division of the High Court, Accra, is set to hear an application filed by the Special Prosecutor for confirmation of its decision to freeze some seven bank accounts of former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah containing local and foreign currencies.
Court documents filed by the OSP on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, and sighted by Citi News have in them, a letter the office wrote to two banks (names withheld), to “with immediate effect direct the freezing of the bank accounts and investments of Cecilia Abena Dapaah with your bank pending investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of your customer. This order takes immediate effect and shall apply to any account and financial assets held by the within-named persons with any branch of your bank…”
“Until this order is revoked or lapses, your bank shall not allow any transaction on the accounts and investments without the written authority of the Office of the Special Prosecutor…”
The OSP per the documents took the action in accordance with section 38 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
Cecilia Dapaah per the OSP document has seven accounts (three and four respectively) with two separate banks.
The OSP is investigating Madam Dapaah for corruption and corruption-related offences following the revelation that she was keeping more than $1 million in her Abelemkpe home.
This comes whilst the police and Attorney General are prosecuting persons accused of stealing the alleged monies from the minister’s house.
Madam Dapaah became the talk of the town in July 2023, when the Chronicle Newspaper reported that her domestic staff had been dragged to court for allegedly stealing $1 million, 300,000 euros, several millions of cedis and personal effects of the former minister and her husband.
Cecilia Dapaah subsequently resigned from her position after a public uproar. She was arrested by the OSP and was later granted bail.
Officials from the Office of the Special Prosecutor on Monday, July 24, 2023, searched the home of the former Minister of Sanitation.
The OSP in the document said it found US$590,000 and GH¢2.730,000 at the Abelemkpe residence of the former Minister.