Parliament petitioned to probe EOCO’s conduct in Cecilia Dapaah saga
Some prominent Ghanaians, including the former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo, have petitioned Parliament for a bipartisan probe into the conduct of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) regarding its failure to investigate the controversial stash of money found at the residence of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah.
The petition was submitted to Parliament yesterday.
The group, which includes outspoken anti-graft campaigner Martin Kpebu, security analyst Dr. Adam Bona, academic Professor Ransford Gyampo, and over 100 other Ghanaians from various walks of life, argues that EOCO had more than sufficient basis to investigate the former Minister for money laundering.
They point out that Dapaah has been inconsistent and unable to provide the source of the large sum of money seized at her residence by the Special Prosecutor.
According to the petitioners, the failure to explain the source of the money should have been the cornerstone of the investigation.
The group also raised concerns about what they described as EOCO’s deliberate refusal to take steps to protect the money seized from Dapaah’s residence by the Office of OSP.
“Upon receipt of the docket, EOCO did not act timeously to seize the money that the OSP was returning to Madam Cecilia Dapaah as publicly stated by the OSP,” the petition noted.
The petition also highlighted EOCO’s inconsistency with its public commentary and actions during the investigation.
This development comes amidst a standoff between state anti-corruption agencies investigating the former Minister over the stash of money.
In January, the Office of OSP transferred the case of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah to the EOCO, explaining that the case involved money laundering and structuring, which were beyond its mandate to investigate.
However, Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice Godfred Yeboah Dame advised EOCO not to continue the probe into the possibility of money laundering in relation to the large sums of money found on Ms. Dapaah’s premises.
In response, the OSP publicly stated that EOCO lacked the appetite to probe the matter despite the detailed information it had shared with the office. Addressing public concerns, the OSP clarified that Madam Dapaah was cleared of any corruption-related offence by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, not by the A-G’s Office.
This situation has prompted a petition from prominent Ghanaians, including the former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo, seeking a bipartisan probe into EOCO’s conduct regarding its failure to investigate the controversial stash of money found at Dapaah’s residence.
The petitioners argue that EOCO had sufficient grounds to investigate Dapaah for money laundering and criticize EOCO’s inconsistent public commentary and actions related to the investigation.
