An outspoken leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, has slammed the Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, over his advice to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) regarding the case of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, who is accused of corruption and money laundering.

Dr Amoako Baah, a senior political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, said he cannot believe that the AG would opine that there was no evidence of money laundering or corruption against the former minister and therefore the investigations against her should cease.

He indicated that the former minister should be investigated for at least evading taxes, even if the monies found at her properties were legally acquired, and the Attorney General should be the one leading this course.

“This issue shouldn’t be rushed. She should be asked whether she paid taxes on the monies found at her properties and to whom she paid it. So, this is how you should proceed. You don’t insult or accuse anybody of any crime...

“But as for this case, no! There is no precedent for what he (the AG) is saying in this country. That someone would go and steal and you would say because it is not money laundering, that person can’t be investigated. This is nonsense, nonsense of law,” he said in Twi in an interview on Accra-based Neat FM on Monday, May 6, 2024.

He added, “You can’t say this anywhere. Nonsense, for it to be coming from the Attorney General himself.”

Background:

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) closed its case against the former minister and her husband, who were accused of corruption and corruption-related offences after two of their house helps allegedly stole $1 million and €300,000 in cash, along with other valuable items from their residence in Abelemkpe.

The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, concluded that his office lacked the authority to prosecute or take further action against the former minister and referred the case to EOCO.

The referral was based on the suspicion that the large sums of money found at Cecilia Dapaah’s properties and bank accounts could be the proceeds of a money laundering and structuring scheme.

The Attorney General, Godfred Dame, in advice to the EOCO boss on how to proceed with Cecilia Dapaah’s case, said "The OSP's referral to EOCO for investigations to be conducted into money laundering is without basis."

He also said that there was no evidence of corruption or procurement breaches against the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor.

"A study of the docket from the OSP and the report by your office indicates that: a. investigations by the OSP did not establish any evidence of corruption, corruption-related offences, or procurement breaches against the suspects; b. the OSP has returned money and other properties retrieved from the suspects in the course of their investigations to them, and the suspects have been accordingly discharged by the OSP," parts of a letter Dame wrote to Tiwa Addo-Danquah, which was sighted by GhanaWeb, read.

Watch Dr Baah's remarks in the video below:



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