Special Prosecutor Gives Update on Cecilia Dapaah Scandal, Says FBI Found No Evidence of Corruption

• The Office of the Special Prosecutor delivered a new update on the Cecilia Dapaah corruption scandal
• The FBI had looked into the case for seven months, with the special prosecutor sharing the outcomes of the case in a report
• The former minister was probed after losing $1 million, €300,000, and an undisclosed amount of Ghana cedis to theft

The Office of the Special Prosecutor has said there was no direct and immediate evidence of corruption by former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah in the graft scandal from 2023.

The special prosecutor's office in its half-year report said there had been extensive investigations into the matter, starting in 2023.

The report also noted that US law enforcement agency FBI had looked into the case for seven months.

"After nearly seven months of extensive investigation by the Office and a parallel inquiry by the federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, no direct and immediate evidence of corruption was found in respect of seized funds and frozen bank accounts linked to Ms. Dapaah and her associates."

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The report, however, noted that the investigation identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring, beyond the direct mandate of the office.

In June, the Economic and Organised Crime Office reopened the case following a new request from its leadership.

Background to the scandal

Dapaah faced public scrutiny in 2023 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 and 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.

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The 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.

Tensions over handling Cecilia Dapaah's case

The Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Economic and Organised Crime Office under the Akufo-Addo administration were at a point at odds over the investigation of alleged corruption by Dapaah.

The special prosecutor's office forwarded its docket on the former minister to EOCO for onward action, but the Economic and Organised Crime Office's then-Executive Director, Maame Yaa Tiwa Addo-Danquah, returned the docket.

The special prosecutor's office, however, was concerned that the Economic and Organised Crime Office was showcasing a lack of interest in probing the money laundering charges levelled against the former minister.

Mahama promised to prosecute Cecilia Dapaah

YEN.com.gh reported that President John Mahama pledged to reinvestigate Dapaah when campaigning to be president.

His assurance came after the Attorney General under the Akufo-Addo administration advised against money laundering investigations into Dapaah after she was found to have unexplained wealth.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh