An Accra High Court has issued a directive for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to return all funds confiscated from the embattled former Minister of Sanitation, Cecilia Dapaah.
This decision comes in response to an application by the OSP seeking confirmation of freezing and seizure orders related to the bank accounts and assets of the ex-Minister.
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Presided over by Justice Nana Brew in the Financial and Economic Crimes Division of the Accra High Court, the order mandates the OSP to release all seized assets from Cecelia Abena Dapaah within 72 hours.
During the hearing on Thursday, Mr. Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, requested a private session with the court, but Justice Brew preferred an open court hearing due to the urgency of the matter. Subsequently, the Special Prosecutor and the lawyers joined the judge in his chambers.
Background
The OSP and lawyers of the former minister have been battling in court since July 2023 when the anti-graft agency commenced investigations on Cecilia Abena Dapaah for alleged corruption and corruption-related offences following allegations that she was keeping more than $1 million in her house. That was after police prosecutors had arraigned two househelps working for Ms Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, at an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing money and items worth millions of Ghana cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe in Accra.