Spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office, Isaac Wilberforce Mensah, has refuted claims that the office has closed investigations into the scandal involving former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
This claim follows the office's advice to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) against conducting money laundering investigations into the affairs of the former minister.
The Attorney General concluded that the request by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to EOCO for money laundering investigations into Cecilia Dapaah’s affairs lacked a basis.
As a result of this advice, John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to reopen investigations into the scandal involving the former Sanitation Minister if he is elected President.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Mr. Mahama announced, “My government will reopen investigations into alleged acts of corruption and graft in the Cecelia Dapaah case.”
However, in an interview with Citi FM on Thursday, May 2, Mr. Mensah clarified that the office’s advice did not imply that it had halted investigations into the matter. He explained that neither the Office of the Special Prosecutor nor the FBI had established any offense.
Mr. Mensah further elaborated that the Attorney General’s Office was still actively investigating the case and had not concluded its probe.
The Attorney General's advice was based on what the office said was the lack of evidence to support the allegations of money laundering made against Cecilia Dapaah.
He emphasised that the office's decisions were based on legal considerations and not influenced by any external factors.
“Even most of the documents that the OSP relied on for its investigations were documents procured from the police or obtained from the Ghana Police Service. So how has the AG or the Office of the AG by this letter closed investigations. It is thus certainly not what the letter sought to suggest," he said.
Credit: Ernest K Arhinful