Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu is convinced the monies retrieved from the residence of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah could simply be bribes.
He insists the former minister’s income does not support the amount of monies found by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and that only takes the matter into the realm of corruption and corruption-related offences.
“It points in the direction of corruption and corruption-related offences because as it were, you will see that these monies are not supported by Madam Dapaah’s income,” he mentioned on Ghana Tonight on TV3 on Tuesday, September 19.
“How did she come by that money? What business did she do to earn that income? So once she is not able to explain her source of wealth, then we are in the realm of corruption and corruption-related offences. In fact, bribery to put it in another word.
“They look like bribes because she can’t explain and what is it that she can’t explain?”
Mr Kpebu was commenting on the latest charge sheet submitted in court by the OSP.
The Office cited Madam Abena Dapaah for running an undisclosed and undeclared business using many aliases.
“In an instance, the first respondent sold a SSNIT Borteyman Estates Flat No. BT/OD/BLK2/2BR/1 under the name of Nana Yaa Ode,” the OSP captured in its charge sheet.
“Indeed, the first respondent appended her signature on all relevant correspondence with the buyer under the name of Nana Yaa Ode.
“Concerning the payment, first respondent, through her agent, gave the buyer her Prudential Bank Account Number 0090924640014.
“It was only at the point of payment at the bank that the agent of the first respondent revealed to the buyer that the true identity of Nana Yaa Ode was the first respondent, into whose account payment of the purchase price of One Hundred and Seventeen Thousand cedis (GH¢117,000.00 was to be made and was effected.”
Mr Kpebu said from Day 1 it was clear the former minister of state did not have any business to earn such amounts from it.
“So, this case from Day 1 is one that has been riddled with false statements here and there and those false statements and changing positions very frequently let the case look like one that we are headed for bribery and corruption.
“The only difficulty is that she has a constitutional right to keep quiet under Article 19.”