There are lingering questions – Bernard Mornah justifies petition to probe Cecilia Dapaah

Bernard Mornah, one of the persons who have filed a petition to investigate the case involving former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has said that there are still lingering questions to be answered.

He says the matter had not been sufficiently dealt with by the other investigative bodies hence their petition.

” There are lingering questions to be asked.  a minister of the state of her caliber storing cash in her home at a time when she knew that putting such money at home did not only pose such a risk for her but also underlined the efficacy of our economy, and our currency,” the Convenor, Arise Ghana said on the Ghana Tonight shown TV3 Wednesday June 5.

CHRAJ petitioned to investigate Cecilia Dapaah: There are lingering questions. It’s evident the minister was running an illegal business. – Bernard Mornah, Convenor, Arise Ghana#GhanaTonight pic.twitter.com/DZIxwI5yqB

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 6, 2024

Mr Mornah and four other persons including Mensah Thompson have filed a petition at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the case involving Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

The petitioners are asking CHRAJ to scrutinise Madam Dapaah’s assets, which include $1,390,000; €300,000, GH₵3,212,007; and bank accounts in both cedis and dollars.

Portions of their petition read “More importantly, we are fortified in the need for this investigation because during interrogation by the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) as to the source of her income, Madam Cecilia Dapaah could not give any proper explanation except for saying the following:

CHRAJ petitioned to investigate Cecilia Dapaah: We’re not aware of any police investigation into the matter. – Bernard Mornah, Convenor, Arise Ghana#GhanaTonight pic.twitter.com/tqeczzCzQp

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 6, 2024

a. she stated that an amount of Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$ 800,000.00) out of the cash sums reportedly stolen from her residence belonged to her deceased brother. That on 24th July, 2023, in Madam Dapaah’s investigation statement to the OSP in the course of interview,

b. That in a further statement made to the OSP on 28th July, 2023, by Madam Dapaah, she claimed her deceased brother who is the owner of the US$800,000.00 owned businesses. However OSP investigations revealed that the said businesses of her brother collapsed about fifteen (15) years ago. Therefore no businesses of her brother existed to had generated such an amount.

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c. She also claimed she owns part of the sum of Two Million Eight Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand Cedis and Seven Ghana Cedis (2,862,007.00) retrieved from her residence as some of the money she received as a sitting allowances and revenues from her cosmetic business which she registered under the name Dermacare Cosmetics. However, OSP’s investigation revealed that Madam Dapaah is not the registered legal owner of the business but rather one Marian Awuah.

Cecilia Dapaah case: EOCO boss must resign – Martin Kpebu

Further, from the revelations so far, it is clear to us that these properties are beyond the income of Madam Cecilia Dapaah. Therefore we wish to petition your office for investigation in to the acquisition of her assets in light of her income etc.”

Madam Cecilia Dapaah is said to have kept $1 million, €300,000 and millions of undisclosed Ghana Cedis at home.

These monies were allegedly stolen by two house helps, for which they are standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.

In her resignation dated Saturday July 22, 2023, ” I intend to cooperate  fully with all the state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts. I have no doubt that at the end of the processes it will be established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations.”

She was later arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) but the charges were dropped on the grounds that they were insufficient.

The Office of the Attorney-General advised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) not to initiate any move to investigate money laundering into the dealings of Cecilia Dapaah.

Upon a request for advice by EOCO on the matter, the Attorney General’s office in a letter dated April 25, 2024 and copied to EOCO, said it found that the OSP did not submit the report on its collaborative investigation to EOCO.

Cecilia Dapaah Stolen Cash Saga: The police have been sleeping on the matter. – Martin Kpebu, Private Legal Practitioner#GhanaTonight pic.twitter.com/9laFqKpOPy

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) May 2, 2024

Additionally, the office noted the OSP has not responded to EOCO’s request for its findings.

According to the Attorney General’s office, the docket presented to EOCO only contains the OSP’s letter transmitting the docket, the diary of action, statements taken during the investigation, and letters written by the OSP to other institutions like the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and banks for inquiries.

Further analysis of the docket by the Attorney General’s office revealed that the OSP did not find any evidence of corruption or corruption-related offenses against Cecilia Dapaah.

The Attorney General’s office emphasised that the key pursuing money laundering investigations is the capacity to prove that financial gains were obtained from criminal proceeds arising from unlawful activity.

“In the absence of the identification of any criminality associated with the properties retrieved from the suspects, the OSP’s referral to EOCO for investigations to be conducted into money laundering is without basis.”

But the petitioners want CHRAJ to look into this matter.