The next NDC govt will reopen investigations into Cecilia Dapaah’s scandal – Mahama

In the event that he is elected president, National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Dramani Mahama has promised to renew inquiries into the issue involving former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah.

“My government will reopen investigations into alleged acts of corruption and graft in the Cecelia Dapaah case,” Mr. Mahama said in a post on X on Thursday.

His appointment follows the Attorney General’s office’s recommendation not to pursue money laundering investigations by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) into the previous Sanitation Minister’s problems.

This recommendation was provided after the Attorney General concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the Special Prosecutor’s Office’s (OSP) request to EOCO to begin money laundering investigations into Cecilia Dapaah’s affairs.

The OSP made this request after deciding that it was not within its purview to handle the issue concerning the over $1 million in cash that its officers had uncovered in the former minister’s home. Rather, it sparked worries about money laundering.

Following several months of collaborative research with organizations such as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, this material was made public.

However, the Attorney General’s office discovered that the OSP failed to give the joint investigation report to EOCO and did not reply to EOCO’s request for its findings after EOCO requested advice on the matter.

Only the OSP’s letter transmitting the docket, the diary of action, statements made throughout the investigation, and letters OSP wrote to other organizations including the CID and Banks during the inquiry are included in the docket that was submitted to EOCO, according to the Attorney General’s office.

The OSP found no evidence of corruption or offenses related to corruption against Cecilia Dapaah, according to the Attorney General’s office’s study of the docket. The Attorney General’s office does, however, contend that gains from criminal proceeds arising from unlawful activities are essential to a successful money laundering case.

The Attorney General’s office determines that there is no justification for a money laundering inquiry in the absence of any criminal matters pertaining to the NPP politician’s properties.

My government will reopen investigations into alleged acts of corruption and graft in the Cecelia Dapaah case.

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) May 2, 2024