The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has reopened the case involving former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, following a fresh request from its new leadership.
At a news conference in Accra, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng confirmed that EOCO had requested the docket again and that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had responded by forwarding a duplicate of the case file for review and possible investigation.
According to the OSP, “The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) commenced an investigation in July 2023 into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences involving large amounts of money and other valuable items connected to Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, a former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, and her associates.”
“After nearly seven months of extensive investigation by the OSP, alongside a parallel inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, no direct and immediate evidence of corruption was found concerning seized funds and frozen bank accounts linked to Ms. Dapaah and her associates. However, the investigation identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring, which fall beyond the direct mandate of the OSP.”
“In January 2024, the OSP referred the case to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for the commencement of an investigation into the identified indications of suspected money laundering and structuring, which fall under EOCO’s direct mandate.”
However, the case stalled when EOCO returned the file.
“EOCO returned the entire docket to the OSP, reasoning that since money laundering is not a substantive offence but a collateral offence that must be founded on a predicate offence, EOCO did not have the mandate to commence investigations into the matter as it could not base its investigation on any predicate offence.”
The Special Prosecutor said the case gained renewed interest a year later.
“By a letter dated 14 May 2025, the new leadership of EOCO requested the OSP to forward the docket back to EOCO for review and commencement of investigation.”
“Under cover of communication dated 29 May 2025, the OSP forwarded a duplicate docket of the case back to EOCO.”
“It is our considered opinion that the docket serves as a valuable background resource for EOCO to commence its own investigation into aspects of the case for which the OSP does not have a direct mandate.”
“The OSP will lend its full collaborative support to EOCO in its review, investigation, and any probable further action,” Mr. Agyebeng added.
