Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has lauded the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for re-freezing the bank accounts and taking back the monies of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
The Financial Division of the Accra High Court had ruled on Thursday, August 31 that the OSP returned all seized property of the former minister of state and unfreeze her accounts within seven days.
It ruled that the OSP had no justifiable basis for the seizure of the property as it entered the act wrongly while also having no reasonable grounds to freeze Madam Abena Dapaah’s bank accounts.
It said the action by the OSP was borne out of speculation and reaction to public sentiments, thus undertaking poor investigations subsequently.
On Tuesday, September 5, the OSP complied with the High Court’s order but immediately seized the property again and slapped a fresh freeze on her accounts and monies, citing ongoing investigations.
Speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 on Tuesday, September 5, Mr Kpebu insisted Madam Abena Dapaah has not justified that the monies belonged to her.
“There is no way we could look at the laws and allow Madam Dapaah to go with the money,” he said, adding that the Court has rather provoked the OSP to probe the minister further.
“She hasn’t shown she has run any business,” he observed.
“From Day 1, if she had a company that was producing so much in selling and she had money and she could explain this, you think the company wouldn’t have come out?” he wondered.
He insists that the former Bantama Member of Parliament (MP) has not demonstrated that she can earn that huge amount of money from her earnings as a minister.
The issues of Madam Abena Dapaah began when she reported to the police of her missing monies to the tune of nearly $1 million, €300,000 and millions of undisclosed Ghana Cedis. She had accused two house helps of stealing the monies from her room.
Later, in accordance with section 32(1) of Act 959, the OSP conducted a search of her three homes and found some $590,000 and GH¢2.73 million at her Abelemkpe residence.
The Office subsequently issued a freezing order on the bank accounts and investments of Madam Abena Dapaah at Prudential Bank and Societe Generale Bank in accordance with section 38(1) of Act 959 and regulation 19(1) of LI 2374.
But this was overruled by the High Court, which ordered a release of the accounts and monies within seven days.
The OSP says per ongoing investigations, it considers re-freezing the accounts necessary.
“Therefore, the Special Prosecutor has invoked his statutory power under section 38(1) of Act 959 and regulation 19(1) of LI 2374 by directing the freezing of the bank accounts and investments of Ms Dapaah effective 5 September 2023.”