The former Minister for Sanitation, Cecilia Dapaah, has been charged by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for her failure to comply with a directive requiring her to declare her assets and financial holdings.

In August, the OSP had launched an investigation into Cecilia Dapaah after a significant amount of both foreign and local currency was discovered at her residence during a search, along with additional funds found in her bank accounts.

The OSP alleges that Cecilia Dapaah, who is currently under investigation for corruption-related offenses and other matters, had refused to provide the required documentation for the declaration of her assets and income since July 24, 2023.

Consequently, the former minister has been charged with a single count of failing to adhere to a lawful demand made by an authorized officer of the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the execution of their duties, which is in violation of section 69(1)(a) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).

Below is a snippet of the charge sheet filed by the OSP

“The accused was, until 22 July 2023, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources. She is a suspect under investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for corruption and corruption-related offences including using public office for profit in respect of suspected tainted large cash sums reportedly stolen from her residential premises and also retrieved from same by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.”

“The evidence will establish that on 24 July 2023, the Special Prosecutor, in the performance of his functions, served on the accused a notice to declare her property and income under regulation 20(1) per Forms 11A and 11B of the First Schedule of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374).”

“The Accused was duly notified as per the statutory forms and by a cover letter under the seal of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the seal and mark of the Special Prosecutor, that she was required by law to make the specified declarations and return same to the Office of the Special Prosecutor as per Form 12 of the First Schedule of L.I. 2374, within thirty (30) days of service on her of the notice.”

In July 2023, Cecilia Dapaah gained increased public attention when it was revealed that two of her household employees were facing charges in an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly embezzling substantial sums of money and valuable items, amounting to millions of Ghanaian Cedis.

As a result of growing public outcry and demands for her resignation and investigation, Cecilia Dapaah ultimately succumbed to the pressure. On July 22, 2023, she decided to resign from her position.

ID/MA

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